Black Vengeance
by maidros78
Summary: After Sirius' death, Harry has problems trusting people, especially Dumbledore. When some Death Eaters trying to evade Voldemort make contact, he learns curious truths. Can he uncover why he was given to Dursleys? after OotP, AU, manipulative Dumbledore
1. Prologue

**Black Vengeance**

The story is AU, and for most part, follows the canon from the first five books, i.e., from PS to OotP. Whatever canon exists in HBP or after the battle of the Department of Mysteries is mostly ignored. The story has a very manipulative and ends-justifies-the-means-Dumbledore, so if it is not to your taste, you have been warned. The story picks up just after the battle of the Department of Mysteries. Possible ships - Harry/Hermione, or Harry/Cho - I invite my readers to vote on it.

(Author's note: The battle of the Department of Mysteries was the point which essentially turned me off the HP series, and I could barely read HBP. I firmly believe in the cardinal rule of the Evil Overlords list, viz, All my minions will be trained in basic marksmanship. Anyone who cannot learn to hit a man sized target at ten yards will be used for target practice'. Further, the problem is that, for most part, the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters are portrayed as caricatures - almost cartoonish. Draco Malfoy, at the end of HBP was the only fleshed out Death Eater', so to speak. The other part that struck me as strange is how none of the Death Eaters likes the Dark Lord, but no one really tries to escape him. This is an attempt to address both of those problems'.)

**Prologue**

**5th October, 1996, Hog's Head**

Harry had just managed to recruit Dumbledore's army, and everyone was leaving the pub. Just as Harry and Ron rose to their feet, Hermione tugged at Harry's sleeve, "Sit down, Harry. There are a couple of more people we need to meet."

"Hermione! How many more did you invite?"

"Just two more. Please sit down, Harry. I am sure they will be around soon."

"Why didn't you invite them with them with the others?"

"You will see soon, Harry", replied Hermione desperately. "They should be here ..."

Just as Hermione was speaking, the door opened and two Slytherins stepped in. "Ah! There they are!", exclaimed Hermione.

"Are you mad?", roared Ron disbelievingly. "You invited Slytherins?!!"

"Ron, you cannot judge people by the house affiliation. There are plenty of nice Slytherins.", Hermione cried shrilly.

"All Death Eaters are Slytherins! They enjoy licking You-Know-Who's boots", snarled Ron.

Greengrass snapped back, "Not all Death Eaters are Slytherins, Weasley, and you know it. There have been Gryffindor Death Eaters and quite a few Ravenclaws, too. However, if you do not want us in Defence group, there is no need to discuss anything." The duo turned away.

"Wait!", cried Hermione at the two Slytherins, glaring at Ron furiously. "Harry, you are not rejecting them outright, are you?"

**FLASHBACK**

**12th August, Ministry of Magic:**

"Very well, very well", barked Fudge. "Cleared of all charges."

Harry got up to leave, and just as he reached the door, he heard someone tap him on the left shoulder.

"Hello, Potter!", came a soft voice from his left.

Harry spun round and saw two Slytherins in his year he knew little about – in fact, he knew little more than their names, Theodore Nott, and Daphne Greengrass.

"Permit me to offer you my congratulations at getting off, Potter. We were worried Fudge would have his way."

"Why are you happy that I got away?", questioned Harry.

"Oh! Potter, remember that not all Slytherins are on the side of the Dark Lord. There are many who fear and hate him as much as you do. Many Slytherins in the jury today voted for your innocence, and send you their compliments on your Patronus."

"I thought the court was closed. How did you get in here?"

"We came with one of the jury. We shall speak on this some other time, but remember allies are often found in unlikely places", returned Nott. "Goodbye for now, and good luck." With that, both Nott and Greengrass had bowed, and marched away.

**END FLASHBACK**

Harry had told both Ron and Hermione about what had happened, but Ron had only imputed the most sinister motives to the advances of the Slytherins, but Hermione had been ecstatic. And now, with their counsels in their oppositions, Harry was torn between Ron and Hermione – both of them were looking at him hopefully, and to decide either way was to annoy the other. However, thinking, he remembered the number of times Vernon and Petunia had called him a freak, the number of times he was loathed for being a parselmouth, the times when everyone thought he was an attention seeking brat. He was not going to judge people by the labels – he would determine for himself what they were, and then make a choice.

"No", he replied to Hermione. Turning to the two Slytherins, he spoke, "Sit down, will you? We need to talk about this."

Ron roared, "You are both insane. I am not going to chummy up with these snakes." With that, he rose and stormed off.

Harry began, "Wait, Ron..", but the other had already exited the door. With a sigh, he turned to the two Slytherins, "Well, that went well. Now, will you two tell me why you want to join a group taught by an attention seeking lunatic?"

Nott sighed, "Potter, we don't think you are off your head. We know that the Dark Lord is back."

"Oh! And why are you two not interested in sucking up to Voldemort?"

Daphne winced, "Can you at least refrain from speaking the Dark Lord's name, Potter?! Not all Slytherins are Death Eaters, and not even all Death Eaters serve the Dark Lord willingly."

"All those death nibblers seemed happy kissing the hem of his robes", sneered Harry.

Nott returned quietly, "None of them is suicidal. You must have noticed that no one went to look for him when he was broken and disembodied. That should give you an indication of his popularity. They simply are bound to him, and therefore, serve him, no matter how hateful it is."

"What prevents them from leaving?", queried Harry his curiosity, for the first time, his annoyance, and hostility for Slytherins.

"The Dark Mark, Potter", answered Greengrass. "One does not simply hand over a resignation to the Dark Lord. Regulus Black found out that the bitter way – being hunted down by the Dark Lord himself. The Dark Mark is firstly a tracking charm of sorts – it can detect people everywhere, unless they are under strong wards. So, anyone who defies the Dark Lord becomes a virtual prisoner, since they have to stay under wards for eternity to escape the scrutiny of the Dark Lord. Even more troublesome is that the mark can be used as a means by the Dark Lord to channel pain. Let me assure you that the Cruciatus curse is a spell of voluptuous delight compared to what the mark can do."

"Aha! Who wants to quit Voldemort's service?"

"Oh! There are quite a few who are disgusted with the Dark Lord and are willing to take desperate chances to get away from him. But we are getting off track here. What exactly are you planning with the Defence group?"

Hermione answered, "Basically, we will have Harry teaching us all spells that can be used in defence. We are calling it DA." Hermione had obviously thought it prudent not to mention that DA stood for Dumbledore's army.

"I bet you want to pass your Defence against the Dark Arts OWL as well", remarked Nott.

"Of course. But with V-V-Voldemort back, it is more necessary to learn to defend ourselves."

"Hmm, yes, so it is. So, when and where are you organising the club?"

"We haven't decided yet. Hermione, give them the galleons." Hermione explained the charm which would tell them the date, time and place of the meetings. The two Slytherins agreed to attend, and to keep their mouth shut. When Hermione suggested that the two sign their names on her enchanted parchment, the two exchanged glances, and Daphne muttered, "The parchment would not happen to be hexed, would it, Granger?"

Hermione flushed scarlet. Nott laughed outright as he looked at the list of names on the parchment, "Good, good, Granger. I see you are taking a bit of precaution – not bad for a Gryffindor, I suppose."

"You are not upset by this?", asked Harry.

"Potter, if you were naïve enough to trust people without any magical contracts, I would not have attended the meetings. As it is, there is a bit of security for us. Your opponents are half a school away. Ours are just one bed apart."

The sobering remark had its effect on the Gryffindors. Hermione spoke, "Are there any more students in Slytherin who would like to join?"

"At this point of time?"

Seeing Hermione's nod, Daphne shook her head. "Between Umbridge, Snape, and Malfoy, I would not dare to approach anyone else in Slytherin for now. Tracey may have joined, but she is too scared of Malfoy."

Nott suddenly shot Harry and Hermione a sharp glance, "Potter, you are Dumbledore's golden boy. Do you know anything about how prefects were chosen this year?"

"What do you mean?"

The Slytherin boy frowned, "Is it just me or do others find the choice of prefects to be strange? Look – in Slytherin, Malfoy and Parkinson are the two hardcore supporters of the Dark Lord. Why in the name of all that is wonderful did Dumbledore make them prefects, especially now that the Dark Lord has returned?"

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, but Hermione returned, "I am sure Dumbledore has his reasons. He probably thought it better to give them a chance."

Daphne responded in a voice of bitter resignation, "It is giving them a chance, alright. They are conducting a recruitment campaign for the Dark Lord with impunity in the Slytherin common room. With the implicit blessings of Snape, of course. Ah, well! No point talking about it – we have to make do with what we have."

They both rose, "Okay, Potter, let us know when the meetings are. Until then, good luck."


	2. Of Black Thoughts

**The Black Vengeance **

The story begins a couple of days after the prophecy has been revealed to Harry by Dumbledore.

**Chapter 1 - Black Thoughts**

Hogsmeade weekend, just before the end of term, was often a rarity, but a very welcome one. Pleasant as it was to relax inside the school, it was a far superior thing to be able to actually go over to Hogsmeade just before the beginning of the summer holidays. Very likely, the entire school above the third year was in Hogsmeade that day, and despite the return of the Dark Lord, the students seemed intent on making the most of their chance of gaiety.

However, the spirit of relaxation and joy that pervaded the remainder of the school did not affect Harry Potter. On the contrary, Harry could not remember the last time when he had felt so miserable. He had partaken of his breakfast which consisted of a few morsels of toast, and simply left without talking to anyone. He staggered up the stairs, and back to the Gryffindor tower. Everyone and everything he trusted was falling apart. Now that he knew the prophecy revealed him by Dumbledore, many questions and puzzles assaulted Harry's mind – how could he manage to fight Voldemort, much less defeat him? Where would he find people to train him up sufficiently to fight one of the darkest and most powerful wizards of his time? Was he justified in taking his friends with him on his tasks – Harry was honest enough to admit to himself that he did need them with him if he was to achieve his goal of defeating Voldemort? Where would he find allies that would accompany him in his venture, for the thought of taking on Voldemort and a horde of Death Eaters with a handful of students was ridiculous in the extreme. But the one question that was most prominent was Whom can I trust'? He had no answer to that crucial question, and it frightened him greatly.

He had trusted Dumbledore, and Dumbledore had betrayed him, and manipulated him. He had trusted Sirius, and Sirius was dead – tears sprang to his eyes as he thought of Sirius. Shaking his head angrily, he considered who else was safe to trust. He would trust the Weasleys, Hagrid and probably Professor McGonagall and Professor Lupin with his life, but they were all too close to Dumbledore, and would likely run back to the headmaster the moment he finished telling them. He hesitated to speak to Ron and Ginny – while they were probably on his side, he had no desire to put the two younger Weasleys at odds with their parents and siblings and Harry was perfectly certain that if it came to a point where the adult Weasleys had to choose between him and Dumbledore, they would choose Dumbledore. The Weasleys had been harmed enough because of him – Percy had split up with his parents because they had chosen him, and he would not cause any more disruption in their family. No, he needed someone he could trust and talk to, someone who did not report to Dumbledore. As of now, the tentative list of people was limited to the others who had unhesitatingly accompanied him on his ill-fated rescue mission in the Ministry. He was fairly confident that Hermione, Luna, and Neville were not under the thumb of the wily headmaster – but would, or could they even understand? Dumbledore had admitted to his various omissions and commissions a few days ago, but had he told Harry everything he had done to Harry's life? Harry did not think so – he would need to go over his life thoroughly, and check what else could have been contrived, and arranged by the manipulative old coot. He needed to think quietly, and there was one place which would likely be empty on a Hogsmeade weekend at the end of the term – the library.

HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

While Harry was ruminating in the confines of the library, more serious events were afoot in Hogsmeade. Two figures, or more accurately, a small wispy looking wizard and a tall, regal witch, both dressed in Hogwarts uniform, sat at a corner table in the Three Broomsticks, talking in hushed tones. A kettle of tea and a few cups lay on the table in front of them, but after the first few customary drinks, and a few desultory attempts at small talk, the couple had essentially grown silent, and slender witch was fidgeting in her seat, glancing at her watch twice a minute, and looking at the door. Her companion was looking far more composed; nevertheless, the nervousness surrounding the duo was palpable.

"Oh! I do wish they would hurry up! I don't like this at all", murmured the girl. "We will be in so much trouble if anyone finds out."

"Calm down, Daph. I am sure everything will be fine. Look around – everyone is so self absorbed that no one will notice us. Also, everyone has put up silencing charms – it is impossible to talk otherwise. No one will think us different."

"How can you be so calm, Theo? And why did they have to pick this time?"

"You know very well that we do not have too much time left, if we are to go through with this. And we ... ah!" The exclamation was drawn from the weedy looking wizard, by the opening of the door and the next instant, someone had entered the room. A tall witch with greying hair and a cold, stern expression, dressed in simple green robes, had just appeared in the doorway, looking all round her without actually appearing to do so. She spotted the Slytherin pair in a corner, and swiftly crossed the room, sitting down at the table.

"Hullo!", smiled the slender Slytherin witch, pouring the newcomer a cup of tea. "How are things, auntie?"

"Not so good!", returned the elder witch grimly. "Sirius Black is dead!"

"What?!"

"Don't look at me like that! It was an accident. He fell through the Execution Veil in the Department of Mysteries."

"I think you had best explain things, auntie", sighed Daphne.

Auntie' glared at her, but swiftly and briefly explained what had occurred at the Department of Mysteries.

"This makes everything so very difficult", muttered Daphne.

"Do we still go through with our plan?", queried Theo.

"We have no choice!", the older witch returned sharply. "It will be only a matter of a few weeks at the best before the Dark Lord learns of what we have done. As much as it annoys me, you have to speak to Potter immediately!"

"Very well, I will do that", murmured Theo. "If he is not in Hogsmeade today, I will try to catch him tonight. You do realise that he will require some token of our good faith to even consider this?"

"I have thought of it. This is the first little titbit of information, which should help you curry favour with him", the older witch answered, handing the wizard a small sealed envelope. "Read it, and pass it on to him. Now, I cannot be seen here. I must go."

She rose, and looking down at the younger witch and wizard, her expression softened, "Good luck! And try not to mess up our only chance. I would rather live, and more so that you two lived."

HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

"Harry! What are you doing here?"

Harry had been in the library from mid-morning and had not even bothered to come down for lunch. Jerking his head back, he glanced to see who had just greeted him. He frowned, "I was reading a bit and then thinking. What are _you _doing here, Cho?"

"Looking for you. I was asked to give you this letter."

"Who sent me this letter?"

"My mum. If you have any replies, please give it to me during breakfast tomorrow, and I will take it back with me."

"Why would your mother be writing to me? What have I done?"

"Look – I have no idea why my mum would be writing to you, nor what you might have done. I was instructed to find you and give it to you. I am just the messenger. Let me know if you have a reply tomorrow morning. Goodnight!"

"Thank you, Cho. And goodnight", he called after her back.

Wondering why Mrs. Chang would be writing to him, he looked over the envelope, but it was a plain brown cover, with no special markings, and addressed to him. He ripped open the cover, and on a stiff parchment, written in an elegant hand, was

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_I have heard of the demise of Mr. Sirius Black and I offer you my heartfelt condolences for the loss you are feeling. As his solicitor, I need to discuss with you several points regarding the will of Mr. Black before we can have a public reading of the will. Please let me know when and where we can confer about this matter. Given the current situation, it would be excellent if you would send back your reply through my daughter, Cho and we can meet after the current term is ended._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Mei Chang._

He put the letter into his pocket and fell back into his chair. The letter was extremely curious – but more so was the puzzle why had Mrs. Chang not sent the letter by owl? Why send it through Cho? Wherefore the insistence that he send the letter back through the same channel? The only reason he could think of was secrecy. But with Umbitch – er Umbridge - out of the picture at least for the moment, who would intercept mails to Harry? There was very likely only one person who might compromise the necessary secrecy. He needed to find a way to meet Mrs. Chang.

Scarcely had he leant back in his chair, when someone else called out his name. He needed peace and quiet to think, and he obviously was not going to get it. Sighing, he turned to the new source of interruption. Three people stood in the doorway of the library. The nearest was Hermione Granger – with her bushy hair and bossy voice, she was unmistakable. Behind her was the tall, slender and queenly figure of the first Slytherin DA member, Daphne Greengrass. Bringing up the rear, was a slight, wispy looking wizard, with raven hair, and cold, midnight black eyes – the second Slytherin DA member, Theodore Nott.

"Harry – where were you today? Ron and I looked for you everywhere in Hogsmeade. We were worried that you had gone off somewhere on your own ...", she spoke all in one breath

Harry cut her off, "I have been in the library all day, Hermione, I have not done anything stupid."

"Hello, Potter! Do you have a few minutes? I think we need to talk.", came the mild, grave voice of Theodore Nott.


	3. Of Discussions and Negotiations

**Black Vengeance **

Of Discussions and Negotiations

Harry had been wondering how he would deal with Nott in particular, given that he and the Senior Mr. Nott had just been exchanging curses in the Ministry a few days ago. He had wondered if Nott would come and try to antagonise Harry, given the animosity with his father. He had been dreading this meeting ever since the battle in the Ministry.

Nott began by casting a silencing charm around them, and augmenting it with a couple of powerful privacy charms, and added a Notice-me-not charm, for good measure. With those enchantments in place, he smiled at Harry, quietly murmuring, "I see you and your friends made it out of the Ministry in one piece. Permit me to offer you my congratulations."

Harry was in a foul mood by this time and the last thing he wanted to do was to speak to a Slytherin, even if it was one from the DA. "Is your daddy fine, Nott? Last I saw him, he was on the ground in the Ministry, clutching his fancy dress mask."

"He is in a holding cell in the Ministry", returned Nott frostily. "I will thank you to keep your tone civil. I came to see if you were okay."

"No thanks to your Death Eater pals!", snarled Harry.

"Oh! Are you certain of that?", came the rejoinder.

"What do you mean?", the coldly enunciated words came from Hermione, whose eyes had narrowed in suspicion at Nott.

"I merely asked you if you were certain that your fortuitous escape had nothing to do with my Death Eater pals', as you call them."

"What had the Death Eaters to do with our escape?", snarled Harry. "They did their best to kill us, all of us were injured and Sirius...", Harry's voice trailed away.

Nott gave an amused chuckle. "Surely Potter, it was no coincidence that there was a door open from the Prophecy Chamber for you to run? Or do you think it was an accident that the Death Eaters bickered long enough for you to discover that open door and smash the shelves? Did you never wonder why you managed to get out of the Prophecy Chamber without being blasted into pieces by the spells cast by the Death Eaters as you fled?"

"They wanted to keep the prophecy from being smashed! Otherwise .."

"You were the one who had the prophecy. Why do you think they did not kill the others? Do you think they cannot hit a man sized target at five yards? Why don't you give Death Eaters a bit of credit for a certain modicum of intelligence?"

He continued, "Don't you think it is rather funny that Death Eaters would try to grab the Weasley girl, or try to stun her and Lovegood, when they could have killed them with as much effort? After all, everyone in the room knew you had the prophecy and the others were worthless? Potter, did you never ask yourself why some of the Death Eaters did not try to kill your friends during the chase?"

Harry had listened open-mouthed to Nott's observations, amazed at his own stupidity in overlooking some obvious points. Now that he thought about it - why had the Death Eaters been informing him about the plans Voldemort had used to lure him into the Ministry? Why had they behaved so erratically making Lucius Malfoy lose his concentration on Harry and his friends? However, it was Hermione who questioned Theodore, "They placed minor shielding spells keyed to us to protect us from the initial spells? That is why none of us were hurt when we ran from the Prophecy Room?"

"You realise now, don't you? Yes, they placed a few minor deflection wards in the path to the door; they also left the door from the Prophecy Chamber open and arranged for argument with Lucius."

"We did not hear them cast any shielding spells", broke in Harry.

Nott rolled his eyes, "For heaven's sake, Potter, you do not need to vocalise spells. Most of the higher echelons of the Death Eaters are capable of silent casting. Or were you not aware of wordless casting?"

"They killed Sirius ..."

Nott interrupted with a soft sigh, "I know. I am truly sorry for your loss." There was an unreadable look in the Slytherin's eyes.

"If they were intent on helping us, why not warn us before we left for the Ministry."

"They were not aware of the plan to lure you there, Potter. It was only when Lucius Malfoy assembled them after you left the school and ordered them to the Ministry that they realised what was happening. The Dark Lord does not trust people with anything more than he absolutely needs to trust them with."

"Who was on our side there?"

"Ah! That we cannot speak of; not yet, anyway. Suffice to say, you had allies among the Death Eaters."

"How do you know about the particulars of the battle, when your father was injured at the outset?", queried Hermione, her eyes flashing with suspicion.

"You may assume that I have been well-briefed by those who wish to negotiate with you."

"Why would Death Eaters want to negotiate with me?"

"You are the only one who has fought the Dark Lord so many times and survived - people are beginning to see you as the only hope. We told you several months ago, that some Death Eaters wish to leave the Dark Lord. Besides, what are the alternatives?", sighed Daphne. "Fudge and the Ministry? That is laughable. They can't even protect their own most secret and precious department from an invasion of Death Eaters. Dumbledore and his Order? Well - most Death Eaters trust Dumbledore even less than the Dark Lord. Which leaves only you. Besides, Potter, they need something that only you can provide."

"Oh! What is it?"

"We have no idea, Potter. That is their secret."

"And what makes you think I want to have anything to do with them?"

"You need allies, Potter, in fact, every last ally you can get. Secondly, they can provide you a wealth of information about the Dark Lord and his minions - information that could make the difference between victory and defeat in the war. Finally, they are all extremely skilled and powerful people, which makes them worth having at one's side.", returned Nott mildly. "Powerful as you are, you cannot take on the Dark Lord without support."

He continued, "Be that as it may, I am here to offer you a token of their earnestness in negotiating with you. Firstly, I assume that you know that, of the twelve Death Eaters who attacked you, only six were apprehended?"

"What?!?! They let out Lucius Malfoy again?"

"No, no. Lucius is still a guest of our Ministry, and as far as I know, no one caught has been released. But Rodolphus Lestrange, who never made it into the pitched battle in the Death Chamber, was able to apparate away before the Ministry started combing the Department. I assume you know that the Dark Lord took Bellatrix Lestrange with him while escaping. Rookwood, Dolohov, Mulciber and Avery escaped by some means I am not aware of - but considering that Rookwood worked in the place, it is not surprising that he knows some exits unknown to others."

"How is You-Know-Who taking all this?" asked Hermione curiously.

"He is furious, and all the survivors who were not caught, felt the brunt of his displeasure", shuddered Nott. "But most of all, he is extremely angry with Lucius Malfoy. It is lucky for Lucius that he got himself captured. I am not sure he would have outlived the Dark Lord's wrath at his failure."

"What do you think Voldemort is going to do next?", queried Harry.

Nott winced at the Dark Lord's name, but returned, "We have a few ideas, Potter, but no precise information. By the way, he was extremely weak after he duelled with Dumbledore and you. He is also scared of you, for some reason."

Harry felt his jaw drop, "He is scared of me?!"

"What did you do to him?"

"I am not sure. He tried to possess me, and I ended up expelling him somehow."

"You expelled the Dark Lord from your mind?!!", Nott and Greengrass gaped at him, an admixture of horror and amazement stamped on their faces. Nott composed himself, "It is hardly surprising that he is scared of you. Well, anyway, Daph and I have a bit of news, advice and a warning for you."

Daphne broke in, "Let us begin with the news - the Dark Lord is furious with Lucius' failure, as we mentioned. The talk is that the Malfoys not in Ministry custody will be the object of his displeasure. Whether His wrath will be sated by mere gold from the Malfoy coffers or whether it will require more remains to be seen. In any case, Narcissa and Draco are going to be in considerable trouble, and Draco Malfoy's influence in the Slytherin Common Room has all but vanished. Apart from his two bodyguards, no one seems to be particularly chummy with him these days."

"Secondly, now that the Dark Lord has been forced into the open, he has decided to do a few quick hits before the Ministry can organise a coherent response. Specifically, he wants to send out a message that anyone who stands by you will be prime targets for his ire. He considered the Weasleys, but has decided against it because there are six adult wizards, and they are living in a reasonably warded home. He is not willing to risk his limited resources in a gamble just to send a message to people about you. However, this generosity does not extend to the Longbottoms and the Lovegoods. He is specially considering the Longbottoms, since they are a prominent pureblood family and have a lot of influence in both the Wizengamot and the Ministry. You need to warn them."

"What about my family?", broke in Hermione.

"You know, Granger, our contact never mentioned you", remarked Daphne, gazing at her interlocutor contemplatively. "That either means that you are not being considered for reprisals, or else, the Dark Lord means to sic a bunch of low grade Death Eaters against your parents as a practice raid. Your parents are not wizards, so the effect of such an action on our world will be minimal - the Dark Lord will, at the very least, not put your parents on a priority list. I take it that they are living in a house not warded against wizards, and do not have an emergency portkey?"

Hermione nodded horror-stricken, while Daphne continued, "I will check with my contact to see if your parents are on the list of targets. You might want to talk with Dumbledore and his Order and see if something cannot be arranged for your parents."

Nott took up Greengrass' story, "Further, there is a rumour that Fudge is having to fight off a lot of murmurs about his leadership. If it is questioned - and note that it is an if', the next likely candidate will be someone who has experience in law enforcement. Very likely, it will be Amelia Bones. Even otherwise, Mme. Bones is a very powerful witch, with a lot of backing both inside and outside the Ministry. The Dark Lord has singled her out as a particularly serious threat, but he has not assigned anyone to the job of leading an assault against her. This either means that he is not considering moving against her in the near future, or he has chosen to lead the attack himself. My contact inclines to the latter, since Amelia would be a very effective and dangerous opponent as a Minister. You might want to find a way to warn her."

"Now Potter, I have a question. Do you plan to continue the DA over summer?"

"How can we?", returned Hermione. "You know we cannot perform magic over summer"

Daphne Greengrass rolled her eyes, "Granger, what you are giving us is our beloved Headmaster's interpretation of the Underage Magic law. The actual restriction merely states that kids under the age of seventeen cannot perform magic if there is no qualified person in attendance. Most pureblood and many half blood families have certified personnel, so we can continue. The Dark Lord has not declared a truce over summer and it were folly to waste time."

Harry nodded, "Yes, Daphne, that is a very good idea. We can find a place and time to practise. I suppose we should have one last meeting of the DA before we leave."

Nott cut in, "That reminds me - are you planning to expand the DA?"

­


	4. Of Proposed Expansions and a Chat

**Black Vengeance – 3**

**Of Proposed Expansions and a chat with Hermione**

Nott cut in, "That reminds me – are you planning to expand the DA?"

Daphne nodded, "Many more Slytherins will join now." Her lips quirked, "Your stock is particularly high at the moment. People are really beginning to see you as the only possible obstacle to the Dark Lord."

"I don't care what they think! They will see me as the hero until the next time the _Prophet_ makes me out to be an attention seeking brat."

Nott nodded thoughtfully, "Quite true. Which is why you should act when you are the darling of the masses. Public sentiment is muddle-headed, eminently unsound, and rarely lasts two weeks, but any alliances you make in that time are likely to last longer."

"Why should I care about making alliances?", snarled Harry.

"Potter, the Dark Lord is gathering an army, and you are going to need one if you are to face him. The only way to do that is to recruit when you are strong."

Harry sighed, "I am not popular in Slytherin. How many of your dorm mates will join me, Theodore?"

"Whom are we targeting for now?"

"Fifth and sixth years", returned Harry thinking carefully. "The seventh years will be too busy with their post-Hogwarts plans, and the lower years would only slow us down for any meaningful training over summer. Don't think Malfoy will join us, do you?" he added sardonically.

Nott winced, but nodded, "It is true that chances are not very bright among the fifth year Slytherin boys. Of my four dorm mates, the only one even remotely possible is Zabini, and he is no picnic either. He probably won't take any sides. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle all probably have their Dark Marks already; if not, they will be getting them pretty soon. However, you overlook how much Malfoy is hated among the lower years – even among the sixth years, to an extent. With Snape's help, he was lording it over all the others in the Slytherin Common room – most of the people hate him, except for a few that are hardcore supporters of the Dark Lord. Among sixth years, there are probably a couple you can get on your side; Terrence Higgs is definitely willing to join your side – he refused to help Umbridge's goon squad and got his arm ripped for his trouble. Urquhart hates you too much to join, I am afraid – you have beaten Slytherin too many times at Quidditch. That leaves Septimus Westway and Jonathan Vaisey – they are rather iffy, but a definite possibility."

"You are much more popular among the girls, Harry", smiled Daphne. "Among my dorm mates, only Pansy Parkinson is a lost cause – she is too sweet on Malfoy. Tracey Davis is pretty likely to join since her family has never had connections with the Dark side – she is a half blood. Millicent Bulstrode is a borderline case – I know she gets a nasty reputation, but she is also a half blood and is most likely following Malfoy just to keep any harassment out of the way."

"Among the sixth years, I am not so sure. Andromachne Sweet is the only one who is likely to join. Lizzy Cameron may just agree to join, but Camerons have traditionally held themselves above all us lesser mortals. That leaves Paula Collingwood, Electra Linton, and Melissa Caruthers – Paula and Melissa have Death Eaters or dark side sympathisers among their immediate relatives. I would not approach them willingly. Electra – she is a strange creature. She has never spoken much with anyone, but we can try, I suppose."

"How soon can you find out about your House mates?"

"Do you mind Malfoy, Snape or Dumbledore catching wind of this?"

Harry considered the question. He did not really think Dumbledore would be happy if he, Harry, went away from Privet Drive to practise defence spells over summer. No, in fact, he would have to find a way to get around any of his Order shadowers if he was to do anything worthwhile. He answered, "No, try to keep a low profile. Once school starts again, we can go public with our idea. But for now, talk only to those you are certain of. We have four days before the term ends. We will have one last DA meeting on the morning of the day we leave."

"Very well, Potter. Goodnight, then." With that, both Nott and Greengrass rose and disappeared towards the dungeons.

"Well, Hermione, it seems that you have got your wish of uniting all the four Houses", smiled Harry, as he watched the retreating backs of the two Slytherins. "I would never have believed that Slytherins would be offering us their support."

"Whom are they representing, Harry? Do we want Death Eaters with us"

Harry thought for a moment – one of those moments when a decision is irrevocably made, all based on a hunch. He had reviewed his entire time with Hermione and had found very few reasons to suspect her of being Dumbledore's agent. Praying to whatever Gods that watched over him that Hermione was not already reporting to Dumbledore, he answered, "Come with me, Hermione. Let us take a walk – we need to talk."

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Harry did not explain anything until they had left the castle, and had moved down to the shore of the lake. Once there, they sat down on the edge of the water and Harry cast a silencing charm and began talking – he had bottled his feelings and emotions for too long and he simply poured his heart out. Harry did not hold back anything of significance once he started talking to Hermione. He told her of his connection with Voldemort, of the blood protections at Privet Drive, of Dumbledore's manipulations of his life, of the reasons behind his having to study Occlumency, and Snape taking advantage of those lessons to batter Harry's mind. Harry broke down when he spoke of the prophecy, and wept into Hermione's shoulder. She held him close while he sobbed, and finally, he composed himself as he finished, "Dumbledore said he has been watching me closely, Hermione. I think he knows everything of what was done to me by the Dursleys. Why did no one intervene when they were torturing me, Hermione? Do you think he wants me tortured by the Dursleys?"

Hermione bit her lip, "Harry, I have wondered often why no one bothered to check on you at the Dursleys. Even if Dumbledore did not bother, there are plenty of witches and wizards – not necessarily hostile to you – who would have loved to visit you, simply because of what you are. Why did you never get any fan mail?"

Harry stared at her – it was true. He remembered the first time he had visited Leaky Cauldron – he had been swamped by nearly everyone around. Why had no one cared to visit him at Privet Drive? "Do you think no witch or wizard can visit me without the permission of the Headmaster? Owls to me are being intercepted?"

Hermione shrugged, and Harry continued, "Hermione, do you realise what this means? Dumbledore knew of the prophecy since my birth, and yet he made no attempts to train me to face Voldemort. I don't think he has any plans to prepare me – he said nothing about any coaching over summer. How can I ever face Voldemort without knowing how to duel?"

Hermione gazed mutely at him, horror in her eyes. She was seeing his burden in its stark proportions and it terrified her. Harry continued, "Dumbledore has manipulated my entire life, Hermione. Most of my life has occurred as he arranged. He left me with the Dursleys for ten years so that I would have no information of the wizarding world. Even when I came to Hogwarts and met Quirrell and Voldemort for the first time, he ensured I would have no special skills. In fact, if I have survived in Hogwarts for the last five years, it is due to the help from Ron and you, not because of Dumbledore – it is in spite of him. The meeting with the Weasleys in King's Cross was most likely no coincidence – why would Mrs. Weasley speak the words Platform nine and three quarters loudly in the middle of muggles, after Hagrid conveniently forgot to tell me how to get on the platform. Mrs. Weasley has never done it again after that incident. No, he arranged for me to befriend the Weasleys – the only question is whether they are willingly helping in manipulating me. Who else around me is working for Dumbledore? Whom can I trust?"

Hermione saw that Harry was sliding away into deep paranoia and it broke her heart to see him in misery. She needed to restore his trust in his friends soon. He needed them and they needed him. If she failed, it was very likely he would try to go alone against Voldemort, flee the wizarding world, or in the most unlikely and worst case, simply make a deal with Voldemort. She drew her wand and said, "Harry, take the end of the wand in your hand."

Surprised, Harry acquiesced. Hermione spoke quietly and clearly, "I, Hermione Jane Granger, do swear by my life and magic, that I shall speak only the truth to Harry James Potter. I have never betrayed and shall never betray any of his secrets to anyone without his permission." A flash of blue erupted from the tip of the wand, wrapping itself between their hands For a moment, both of them glowed an eerie blue, framed clearly against the darkening sky. There was a moment of total silence; Harry was gaping at Hermione in stupefaction. Finally he found his tongue and spoke, "Are you mad, Hermione? Do you realise what you just did?"

"Harry, I chose your side five years ago when you saved my life from the troll. I owe you a life debt and my present oath could add no more to what I already owe you. Besides, Harry, you need to trust someone – you cannot push everyone away."

"No! I cannot let you come with me ..", began Harry.

"Harry! What makes you think I am going to let you go alone against Voldemort."

"Hermione, it is too dangerous. Look, you were almost killed in the Ministry. I am sorry I led you into Voldemort's trap ..."

"Harry, you did not lead me. I chose to follow you there .."

"Hermione, I could never forgive myself if something happened to you", burst Harry. "I can take chances, but I cannot put you in danger."

"But I am already in danger, Harry. I chose your side five years ago, and nothing I can do or undo now will change that. If leaving you meant I would not be in danger, it would make sense. The Death Eaters will hunt me down because I am a lowly mudblood'."

"But, Hermione .."

"Why do you think I will be in less danger elsewhere, than with you?"

Harry wrung his hands in agony and frustration, "I cannot bear to see you hurt, Hermione."

"So, let me get what you are saying - I will go alone after V-Voldemort and all his minions, and get myself killed, and being dead, it will not matter to me what happens to the others.' Is that it?"

Harry groaned as Hermione continued, "Getting yourself killed will not save us, Harry. You need a plan to fight the Death Eaters."

Harry sighed, but nodded, "I have been thinking about this over the last few days, Hermione. I have been worried about the effectiveness of the Order. Their attempts to persuade the giants failed. They could hardly convince anyone that Voldemort had returned. All this year they have been waiting and watching, doing nothing. In fact, it was the interview you arranged in the Quibbler that was far more compelling. They were supposedly guarding the prophecy, but both ourselves and the Death Eaters were able to get to the Room of Prophecy without difficulty. Why did we meet no Order guards when we went to the Ministry? I cannot but wonder if the Order is really up to the task of taking on the Death Eaters."

Hermione looked appalled, "Harry, if we cannot trust the Order, then what .."

Harry shrugged, "I am open to suggestions. That is one reason why I did not refuse Nott outright – I am willing to listen to any defectors from the Death Eaters. But I am not sure we can trust or depend on the Order."

Hermione bit her lip, "Harry, about Ron ..."

"What about him?"

"Don't you think you are judging him too harshly, Harry." Harry opened his mouth to protest furiously, but Hermione cut him off, "Let us assume you are right about Mr. and Mrs. Weasley working on Dumbledore's orders. That does not mean that Ron is spying for Dumbledore. He has been loyal to you for the last five years, Harry. He has nearly died for us. And Ginny – she owes you a life debt. I don't think she would betray you to Dumbledore."

Harry retorted, "Maybe, Hermione. But am I justified in asking him to make a choice between his parents and me? The Weasleys have already lost Percy to this choice."

"Harry, I think you should leave the choice to him."

"I will think about it, Hermione."

"Come, now, Harry, you can give him and Ginny a chance and watch them. If they prove faithless, you can throw them out."

"I will think about it, but I am making no promises."

"Now, Harry, about what Nott said about Mme. Bones .."

"Yes, we need to warn Neville and Susan."

"Are you sure we don't need to warn the Order? Maybe they could help .."

"I am not going to Dumbledore", snarled Harry.

"Okay, maybe we can just tell McGonagall. Just that we know from an anonymous source that there will be an attack on the Longbottoms and Mme. Bones. Also, we could talk about some protection for my parents."

Harry wanted to refuse, but the thought of Hermione's parents being defenceless against the Death Eaters stopped him cold. He owed them some protection, and the only group capable of providing it in the short term was the Order. He sighed, "Alright, we will just warn McGonagall."

"May I borrow Hedwig, Harry?"

"You want to warn your parents?" At Hermione's nod, Harry consented.

"Thanks, Harry", smiled Hermione. "Let us now return to the castle."


	5. Of Dangers, Strangers and Grangers

**Black Vengeance – 4**

**Of Dangers, Strangers, and Grangers**

On the very night Nott delivered the warnings, Harry had warned Prof. McGonagall about the possible dangers to the Grangers, Longbottoms, and Mme. Bones. After that, he had tipped off Susan Bones and Neville Longbottom about the dangers to their families. Susan was also told about the plans for the DA over summer and asked to discreetly recruit from Hufflepuff anyone who might be interested. . The next day, Harry had met Cho and told her that he would be willing to meet her mother after the end of the term on any day she was free. Cho had mellowed down, was considerably gentler towards him, and had graciously apologised for Marietta's betrayal. She had also asked him about the events of the Department of Mysteries, but Harry was reluctant to speak much, partly out of caution, and partly because the events were too raw in his mind. However, while the reconciliation between the two was by no means thorough, they had parted on reasonably good terms. Harry had also asked Cho to quietly recruit from Ravenclaw anyone interested in continuing with the DA over summer, and the pretty Ravenclaw seeker had eagerly accepted the assignment. Harry seemed all set for the last DA meeting.

While Harry was arranging for new recruits from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw via his intermediaries and recruiting actively in Gryffindor, Nott and Greengrass were quietly sounding out the feelings of their house mates in Slytherin. Since Nott's options were foreclosed among his own dorm mates, he had begun to work on the sixth years. He had managed to convince Terrence Higgs to join, while the rest of the sixth year boys were totally non-committal. Daphne was having a bit of mixed luck; she was very successful among year her own year mates, whilst completely unsuccessful amongst the sixth years. Tracey Davis had joined as Daphne had foreseen, and somewhat to her surprise, even Millicent Bulstrode had agreed to join. However, Electra had refused, much to Daphne's astonishment, while Andromachne had indicated that her plans included travelling over summer, and consequently, she would join the DA only the coming year.

Nott was seated at his table in the Common Room, working out how he might persuade the reluctant Vaisey without alarming Malfoy, when Draco and his two goons appeared, heading straight for Nott.

"Well, Nott, it is time we had a chat. We need to determine your stance", remarked Draco.

Nott's eyebrows rose at that, "My stance on what, Malfoy?"

"Your loyalty to the Dark Lord. We want you to help us serve him."

Nott internally groaned – Malfoy had not an iota of subtlety. He wondered about Malfoy's timing – was this a mere preemptive stroke against any possible loss of influence to Nott, or had the little devil had a premonition of what Nott was planning. Over the years, Malfoy had become too used to intimidating his way through any opposition. Deciding to be conciliatory for the moment, he merely returned, "Interesting. Tell me more, Malfoy."

"The Dark Lord is short of skilled manpower for the moment, especially after the misfortune in the Ministry. He has asked me to get all students with skill into his ranks. Your only future is with him."

"Yeah, that's right", thought Nott. "The same wonderful fate that befell my father – why do some people never learn", reflected Nott bleakly. Aloud however, he spoke, "Well, Draco, we still have two years of Hogwarts left. Time enough to get into his ranks. No hurry for now."

"Sorry, Nott, you have got to decide now. Time for you to show a bit of loyalty to our Cause. You've got to work against the mudbloods and muggles. If you refuse – well, we need not discuss that yet."

"Now, now, Malfoy – calm down", Nott said soothingly. He did not want to draw his wand, if for no other reason than the fact he was not sure he could win. Nott was a schemer, not a fighter, and he took Draco's duelling abilities seriously. "The old coot will know almost everything we do here, and I don't want to do something stupid and get expelled."

"Very well, you have made your choice", said Malfoy drawing his wand. Nott leapt back from his chair, drawing his own wand at the same time. _"Densaugeo", _came Malfoy's voice.

"_Aegis", _snarled Nott, and the jet of red light from Malfoy's wand impacted against a bronze shield conjured by Nott and deflected away. However, Nott had forgotten one thing – Malfoy's bodyguards. Crabbe grabbed Nott from behind, while Goyle swung his fist at Nott's head. Nott twisted away, but the fist caught him a glancing blow on the ear. Pain exploded on the side of his head, and distantly he heard Malfoy's voice, _"Petrificus totalus". _Nott's muscles went stiff as a board, and Crabbe flung him to the floor contemptuously. Goyle kicked him hard in the chest, and Nott felt the ribs crack. Malfoy kicked him again in the face and blood poured from Nott's mouth and nose. "Just remember – if you betray or reject our Lord, this treatment will feel like a gentle massage." With that, Malfoy and his thugs had disappeared.

Fifteen minutes later, Tracey found a nearly unconscious Nott in a pool of blood and performed the counter curse. She then sent one of the lower year girls to fetch Snape and Pomfrey, and a few minutes later, Nott had been escorted to the hospital wing by her Head of House and the school Healer.

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The night before the last day of the term was one that would alter the course of the war. After the intolerably hot preceding weeks, the showers that had begun earlier in the evening were turning into a violent, merciless, and tempestuous summer storm. This particular fury of a gale, which had originally brought some relief from the burning wrath of the sun, had long since gone past providing solace and was bringing in a different, but equally unendurable, misery. Blustery winds, screaming like untamed beasts in a cage, lashed the Cornish coast from across the sea, forcing people to shield their faces and eyes, and the rain pounded against the windows with elemental fury, rattling the shutters. The incessant staccato hammering on the doors and the chimney pots was nerve wracking, and visibility was down to less than a dozen yards. A terrible night it was – a night when, within the heart of civilisation, the weather Gods ruled the world, reminding humans the limitations of their power. Humans might tame the most savage lands, force the most barren and rocky soil to yield some means of sustenance, but here the Gods seemed intent on reading a lesson to human arrogance. Strong and powerful as the human hand and will were, they were still being forced to bend before powers beyond their comprehension, much less control.

While the bulk of the remainder of the county had bowed to the inevitable, and was peacefully in bed, rather momentous events were afoot in a Georgian manor. In a rather large and well furnished room of this mansion, two wizards wizards were playing a game of cards. The first one was a thin, nervous looking man of around fifty, with sandy hair and a soft, hesitant voice, dressed in aristocratic looking black robes, marked with the insignia of his House, and was sipping his crimson coloured drink in one hand, while picking up cards with the other. The other man, elderly and tall, was dressed in royal blue robes and seemed to have perpetually assumed a bored, indifferent expression. His dark, greasy hair, streaked with grey, was swept back from his high forehead, and he was dealing himself and his companion cards from the deck.

"It is a good thing we don't have to go out tonight", murmured the thin man. "Not that we do have had much to do in the last few months."

"Would you rather be out with those young fools, murdering and raping the hapless? I thought we were above all that", sneered his companion.

"Oh! We certainly are above, although not all our murderous rapists are young", grimaced the thin man. "Our old friends, Lucius or Walden, would have found some more convenient way to warm their bodies on such a night", he spat bitterly.

His companion was about to respond when a sharp knock sounded on the door. The two men exchanged glances, and the thin wizard spoke, "Enter."

A tall witch appeared in the doorway, and waved her wand twice swiftly, creating a privacy ward, and a silencing charm. She spoke, "The Dark Lord has just ordered Marcus to take a gang of four rookies to the home of Potter's mudblood. He has also ordered Yaxley, Wormtail and Greyback to lead a group against the Longbottoms, while he himself is leading a bunch against Amelia."

The two men glanced at each other. "What can we do?"

"I hope Potter has acted on the warnings we sent him. I think we should go and help the mudblood's parents. This might be just the thing necessary to get in Potter's good books."

There was a moment's silence, absolute and pregnant. They were all calculating the effect it would have. If this were done, the break with the Dark Lord would be absolute and only a matter of days away – none could lie directly to the Dark Lord, and get away with it. But would their actions be sufficient? What if Potter rejected their offer?

"But ..", began the nervous man.

"But nothing!", snapped the witch. "We decided on leaving the Dark Lord more than three months ago. We have computed the odds a hundred times. Nothing is going to change there. We have to take a gamble, I suppose. This is probably the best chance. Potter's stock is high, and from what Daphne reports, he is honourable and loyal. Come along, you two."

"Do you know where the mudblood's home is?", asked the elderly man.

"Yes, I gathered that much from Marcus before he left. Hurry up, we have less than half an hour before Marcus gets his thugs together and apparates to the place."

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Marcus Flint was not the usual happy and carefree young man tonight. While the riffraff that constituted his command might put their predilection for pleasure ahead of their safety, the troll-like Slytherin had no such tendencies. He cursed the Dark Lord for choosing such a night for a raid. While it might be ideal for the Dark Lord to assault wizard homes on such a night, it made no sense to attack a muggle household on a rainy night, when they could not torch the building from outside and pick off any who tried to flee. He would have to lead his men inside, and this always posed a risk. However, he had his instructions, and as soon as the men under his command were assembled, he barked out orders, and the whole group apparated to their target.

The group, though raw and ill-trained, behaved with a semblance of discipline. One Death Eater stood outside to prevent anyone escaping and to warn his colleagues inside of any external interference, and while Flint himself and two of his companions burst in through the front door, the remaining man smashed his way in through the back door of the Granger home. It was at this point that Flint's plan began to go horribly wrong – first, he felt a massive anti-apparition and anti-portkey shield cover him and his companions. Next, instead of meeting a pair of panic-stricken muggles, a tall witch in emerald green robes and a mask, casually fingering her wand greeted Flint and his two comrades.

"Good evening, Marcus", she smiled grotesquely."

For a moment, the three Death Eaters were stunned at the sight. Giving them no time to recover, the witch sent a flame cutter spell at the Death Eater to the left of Flint, slicing cleanly through his arm just above the elbow, sending him whimpering to the ground, while wordlessly tossing the coffee table into the path of Flint's killing curse. The third Death sent a blasting curse at the table which had shielded the witch, shattering it, but their enemy was one step ahead of them. She banished the splintered pieces of furniture at Flint, forcing him to dodge out of the way, while she herself gracefully avoided the other Death Eater's cutting hex.

"Cold outside, isn't it? Here, let me help you warm your blood!" With that, the witch sent an incinerating curse at Flint's remaining companion, which smashed through his shield and turned him into an incandescent ball of fire, reducing him to a crisp in a matter of seconds. Flint tried to extinguish the flame with a jet of water from his wand, but it was useless. The Death Eater was already roasted, and the smell of burning flesh pervaded the room.

"Oh, dear!", mocked the witch. "Wittle baby, Mawhcus! You need bettaw help."

"_Avada Kedavra!", _roared Flint, his eyes mad with fear and anger. The witch languidly conjured a marble block in its path, which took the curse and burst into pieces. "Kiddies should not use unfowgivables", she laughed. Turning more serious, she spat, "Let us finish this now." With that, she sent a powerful banishing charm, flinging Marcus Flint across the room like a rag doll. Flint felt his bones crack from the impact against the wall, and saw coloured lights erupt in front of his eyes, and as he desperately struggled to rise, he heard, _"Avada Kedavra!". _There was a blinding flash of green light, a rushing sound, and Marcus Flint fell, dead before he hit the ground.

The witch turned round, and saw her two companions, the thin wizard, and the elderly one appear, and at the same time, the door leading up the stairs opened, ushering in two scared muggles.

"Well?", spoke the tall witch sharply to her colleagues.

"The other two are dead", returned the elderly man. "I took care of the one outside, and our colleague has accounted for the one who came in through the back door."

She nodded, and addressed the muggles, "Don't worry, you should be safe now. The Ministry will be here any minute, and they can take care of this mess, so we must leave. Good luck!"

Dr. Granger cried, "Wait! Who are you three and what are you doing here?"

The three exchanged glances and the elderly man answered, "For lack of a better term, we might say we are prospective allies of your daughter, and we were saving your lives. Goodnight!" With that, all three disappeared with soft pops, leaving two very puzzled muggles behind.


	6. Of Many Meetings

**Black Vengeance – 5 **

**Of Many Meetings**

The last day of the term dawned clear and sunny, and after the stormy night, the glorious sunshine was particularly pleasant. After an restless night, Harry came down to the breakfast table. A quick breakfast later, Harry and Hermione left to visited Nott in the infirmary, where the school Healer Mme. Pomfrey wanted to complete one last check on the Slytherin before pronouncing him restored. The Gryffindor duo learnt from them the attack by Malfoy. Nott had urged Harry to do nothing about it while in school – very few people, both Slytherins and others – knew the truth and Nott would rather that it was kept that way. He knew the loss of face he and Harry's cause would suffer if the truth were to become public. Harry had grudgingly agreed to his request, and they were discussing the success of Nott's efforts in recruiting Slytherins. At that moment, the infirmary door opened, and Cho Chang, and Susan Bones appeared. Harry bade them be seated, and quietly spoke, "I asked you two here before the meeting because there are a few things we need discuss. Also, this is the only place in the castle where we can meet without raising suspicions. But first, will you two give me your word of honour that you will not repeat this information to anyone?"

Cho, and Susan exchanged glances, but both girls assented. "Very well, then. Susan, I must ask you how many of your House mates are willing to attend the DA over summer."

Susan handed over a list to Harry, and craning over his shoulder, the others read the names of the Hufflepuffs who had signed up. The list read:

**Hufflepuff:**Justin Finch-Fletchley, Wayne Hopkins, Ernie MacMillan, Stephen Cornfoot, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Megan Jones, Lillith Moon

Cho produced a list, which read

**Ravenclaw:**Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, Terry Boot, Kevin Entwhistle, Cho Chang, Morag MacDougal, Lisa Turpin, Padma Patil, Mandy Brocklehurst, Luna Lovegood.

Finally, Nott gave Harry the Slytherin list:

**Slytherin:**Theodore Nott, Terrence Higgs, Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Tracey Davis.

Harry nodded, "Now, Hermione, show them the Gryffindor list."

Hermione produced a parchment from her robes, and the others read:

**Gryffindor:**Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, Katie Bell, Ginny Weasley

Harry continued, "Now, I am sure you want to know why I asked you here. Hermione and I have been having a few serious discussions, and we want you all to understand what is at stake. Voldemort wants me dead, and he is not going to stop until he or I is dead."

Cho broke in, "Why does You-Know-Who want you dead?"

"The full story is pretty long and we can go into it another time. But, briefly, there is a prophecy that says that only I can kill him."

Susan gasped, Nott frowned, Cho looked horrified, and there was a moment of total silence. Nott spoke, "Was this the prophecy the Dark Lord's followers were after in the Department of Mysteries?"

Harry nodded, as Nott continued, "But that prophecy was destroyed .."

Harry cut in, "What was destroyed was the record of the prophecy. The prophecy was made before Dumbledore and he knows the full prophecy. He told me of it."

There was another shocked silence. Cho broke the silence, "The prophecy is the reason You-Know-Who wanted you dead fifteen years ago?"

Once more, Harry assented and continued, "As long as Voldemort is free and killing, there will be no safety for any of us. He might even invade Hogwarts, if he feels strong enough. So we need to train to defend ourselves and the summer is an excellent time. But I did not ask you all here to join the DA. I am asking you to help me lead it. But it is going to be dangerous; so, if any of you want to opt out, I am not going to blame you."

There was a moment's absolute silence, and then all of them agreed to help Harry and gave their word that they would not betray him. Satisfied, Harry proceeded, "The first problem is where we can train without the interference of either the Ministry or the Order. Theodore, Hermione and I have been discussing this over the last two days. Theodore, would you like to tell them?"

Nott took up the story, "There is an old Nott mansion that has not been used in more than fifty years. With just my parents and me left, it was deemed a waste of energy to maintain such a huge place, so we moved to a smaller place near London. However, the old manor has superb defences, and wards, so we decided that it would be the best place for all of us to work. Even the Dark Lord would be hard put to it to breach its defences. I know a man who will put the place under a Fidelius Charm. That should be sufficient to secure it."

"Who will be the secret keeper?", queried Cho.

"Me", answered Harry.

"When do we start?", inquired Susan.

"Well, it would be a good idea for all students to get back to their families for at least a couple of weeks. That should give us time to get the place ready."

"Okay. Now to decide how we will communicate. I have a suspicion that owls to me are being intercepted. So our communications are likely to be compromised if we use owls. Hermione has found a solution to the problem – would you like to tell them, Hermione?"

Hermione opened her schoolbag and brought out five journals. "All these journals have been charmed so that we can contact any of the others who have them. I have added all possible protections I could think of. Just drip three drops of your blood on the cover page and the journals will be keyed to you and no one else will be able to use it. When you need to contact anyone, tap the book with your wand and write the name of the person you wish to contact. What you write in your journal will appear verbatim in the journal of the one you are trying to communicate with. And their answers will appear in your book. When you are finished, just tap the book again with your wand and say 'complete'. That should clear the book."

"But isn't blood magic illegal?", frowned Susan.

"Not this spell", returned Cho. "I am assuming that Hermione used the same spell that is used in the rings worn by Heads of Houses, to prevent forgery."

Hermione nodded. Harry continued, "You four will be responsible for your respective Houses. In today's meeting, I will tell the others that all DA related information is to be sent to you four. You will tell me anything I need to know using these journals. I want the existence of these journals kept secret. No one is to owl me anything about the DA. Hopefully, this will mislead anyone trying to keep tabs on me. Now, do any of you know anything about Tracking charms?"

Cho answered, "I know a bit about them – we routinely check our owls for them to prevent mum's clients from being compromised."

"Great! Can you check if there are any Tracking charms on any of us?"

"Who would put Tracking charms on us?"

"Where do I start? Voldemort! Death Eaters! Dumbledore! The list is long, Cho"

Cho pursed her lips in puzzlement, but performed the spells on herself and all four of the others. She spoke, "There are none that I can detect at least."

Harry frowned, "Are you sure?"

"Almost. There maybe blood based Tracking charms, but those I would not know how to detect, much less remove."

"Any way of getting rid of those Tracking charms?"

"Well, all blood based Tracking charms attune to the magic in your blood to detect you, so if you are under magic suppression or obfuscation wards, you cannot be detected."

"Magic suppression, eh! That is an idea", muttered Harry looking into the distance. He shook himself out of his reverie, and spoke, Thanks Cho! Can you come over to the owlery with me and we can check if my owl has any Tracking charms on her?"

Cho consented, and Harry added, "Okay, then, we will meet in the Room of Requirement in an hour."

­HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

Mme. Pomfrey performed a quick check on Nott, assured herself that Nott was alright, and released him. Harry and Cho went up to the owlery, while Hermione, Theodore and Susan went down to their dormitories to ensure that they had packed everything. Harry called Hedwig, and Cho performed several spells, checking the owl. Suddenly, Cho's jaw dropped and she gasped. Harry quickly questioned, "What is it, Cho?"

"I-I don't understand. There is some kind of _confundus_ charm on her. Also an advanced Tracking charm."

"_Confundus _charm? What kind and what does it do?"

"I cannot say exactly, Harry. From what I can fathom, it is some kind of a redirecting _confundus_ charm. I would say that your owl would likely go to some one person, no matter who you sent your letters to. Also, there is a very advanced Tracking charm on her."

Harry's eyes blazed and he ground his teeth, biting out, "Umbitch!"

Cho shrugged, unconvinced, "Maybe."

"Can you remove the charms?"

"I can remove the Tracking charm. I wouldn't dare remove the _confundus_."

"Why not?"

"It might permanently damage her if we don't know the exact spell used. If I were you, I would take her to Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley to get it removed – there is an owl healer there, and she should be able to get rid of it. Barring that, you could go to Lazarus Healing Centre for Magical Creatures. They should be able to help you as well."

Harry thoughtfully nodded, "Thank you, Cho. Go down to the meeting. I'll catch up in a few minutes."

While Cho made her way towards the Room of Requirement, Harry sped down to the kitchens. He spoke rapidly to Dobby, and the excitable elf promised to do his bidding. Thanking the elf for his help, Harry ran back towards the Room of Requirement.

­HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

In the Room of Requirement, Harry Potter was addressing a gathering of an assortment of fifth and sixth year students. He spoke of the aims of the DA over summer, of the danger that now menaced all of them with the return of Voldemort. He told them that arrangements for the training were being made and that they would all meet in two weeks in the Leaky Cauldron. Further, he cautioned them not to owl him with any DA related material. Any information they needed to transmit or receive was to be sent to their respective House coordinators, Hermione Granger for Gryffindor, Cho Chang for Ravenclaw, Susan Bones for Hufflepuff, and Theodore Nott for Slytherin. He impressed upon them the need for secrecy and discipline. To finish off, he wished them all a happy holiday and dismissed them.

Most of the half bloods, and the muggleborn students were quite happy to band into a group to find some protection from the depredations of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and that they were being trained by the Boy-Who-Lived was the major attraction. Of course, there were some who had, through their parents, managed to learn about the previous war and were uncomfortably aware that neutrality might not be an option for long – the Dark Lord had a habit of dragging everyone into a war, whether they liked it or not. As far as they were concerned, Harry Potter was the best choice, if for no other reason than that he had been consistently successful against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Whether this was due to good guidance, planning or fortune was immaterial.

­HP-HP-HP-HP-HP

While the students were holding a conference on DA activities, the Headmaster was holding a meeting in his office with Prof. McGonagall and Prof. Snape. With the two professors seated before him, the headmaster began, "I have called you two because I have just received some distressing news. Voldemort has been very busy last night. Minerva, you or I will have to break the news to young Mr. Longbottom. His family was attacked by Death Eaters last night."

Prof. McGonagall gasped, "Albus, are they safe?"

The Headmaster shook his head sadly, "I am afraid not. The entire family has been wiped out. Augusta, Algernon, and Enid are all dead, which leaves poor Mr. Longbottom as the last survivor of his house."

"Albus, then the information I got was true! Oh, was anything done to safeguard them?"

Dumbledore spoke slowly, "I am afraid I don't know. I passed on your warning to Magical Law Enforcement, but in these times, suspicions might not be enough to warrant extra protection. The Order has been stretched thin, as you know, and with many of our members in or just out of St. Mungo, I could not order any of our people to provide the security. Severus, is Voldemort planning any more assaults?"

Snape returned, "I wouldn't know, headmaster. The Dark Lord has become extremely wary after the debacle in the Department of Mysteries. He does not trust anyone anymore."

Dumbledore looked older. He sighed, "I am afraid the attack on the Longbottoms is not all. He also attacked the Bones family, and Amelia, Abraxas and Brigitta are all dead as well. I will shortly be sending for Pomona – we need to inform Ms. Bones."

Prof. McGonagall looked on the verge of crying, while Snape manifested no outward reaction – he looked sour as ever, while Dumbledore continued, "Curiously, there was also an attack on the Grangers."

"Albus! Is it your intention to give me the disaster piecemeal?!"

"Calm yourself, Minerva. No harm has been done. The Grangers were protected by three unknown allies."

Prof. McGonagall's mouth fell open, "Who .."

"Ah! That is the question. We don't know anything about them, except that they were not Order members, nor does it appear likely they were Aurors. Whoever these unknown saviours, pity is not one of their characteristics. Marcus Flint, and the four other Death Eaters who attacked the Grangers, were killed by these people, and three of the dead Death Eaters were slain by the killing curse."

"Albus, did you not arrange any protection for Ms. Granger's parents?"

Dumbledore sighed, "I am afraid not. I would have done it at the end of the term – I did not believe the danger to be so imminent. It appears that I was grievously mistaken."

McGonagall sighed. Dumbledore could be so obstinate in his ideas at times. However, in this instance, no harm had been done, even if assistance had come from an unknown source.

Tentatively, she spoke, "Should we question Ms. Granger if she knows who those allies are?"

"That may be a good idea, Minerva. Will you do it?"

She acquiesced, and Dumbledore finished, "Well, Minerva, speak to Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Granger. I will have a talk with Pomona, and have her break the news to Ms. Bones."

Prof. McGonagall left. Dumbledore smiled at Snape. "Our plan progresses nicely, Severus, but for this unknown element. Try to find out if Tom knows who they are."

"Before you leave, Severus, have you managed to find out who attacked Mr. Nott?"

Snape returned, "Preliminary inquiries indicate that Mr. Malfoy was trying to coerce Mr. Nott into joining the ranks of the Dark Lord. It would seem Mr. Nott was reluctant to comply immediately. This enraged Mr. Malfoy and his friends, and the argument degenerated into a brawl, where Mr. Nott sustained some injuries."

"Keep an eye on Mr. Nott, Severus. Maybe we can make use of this boy in future."


	7. Of Weasleys and Wills

**Black Vengeance – 6**

**Of Weasleys, and Wills**

(Author's note: Based on the number of votes, the ship is going to be Harry/Hermione. Cho will be a major character in the story, in any case.)

Neville and Susan had been given the distressing news in the office of their respective Heads of House. They were both heart broken, and the Headmaster had kindly provided them portkeys to take them home, to spare them the agony of being questioned by their friends on the school train. Prof. McGonagall had questioned Hermione, but to little avail - the girl knew little, and was rather outraged that no protection had been arranged for her parents in despite of her warnings. However, Hermione knew better than to berate Prof. McGonagall, and she returned to Gryffindor, and packed and left with the others on the Hogwarts express.

Harry, and Hermione had heard about the tragedies that had befallen the Bones and the Longbottom families and dearly wished to express condolences. There were many questions they two were burning to ask; however, for the moment, there was nothing to be done. So, with the rest of the school, they got into the Hogwarts Express and found themselves a compartment, which they were sharing with Ginny and Ron. Ron was remarkably sulky at being left out of the planning for the DA over summer, and it was Hermione that began the conversation, "Ron, Ginny – it is not our intention to keep you out of the DA preparations. We wanted to finalise matters with Slytherins before talking about it."

"You've done what you want! Who wants pathetic Ron and Ginny now that you have the rich snakes on your side", snarled Ron.

"Ron! This has nothing to do with what people have! This has to do with finding a safe place to practise over summer", snapped Hermione.

"Yeah! By chummying up with those serpents! They are probably letting You-Know-Who know about this by now."

"Don't be stupid, Ron! They are oath-sworn not to betray any of this", returned Harry.

"Sure! If you are stupid enough to trust Slytherins .."

"Oh! How do you know they are betraying us?"

"They are Slytherins, and Nott's father is a Death Eater. What more proof do you want?"

"Nott's father is in prison, and .."

"Yeah! He wants revenge and cooked up this story."

"If you don't want to come, Ron, no one is forcing you", bit back Harry.

"I knew it! You pick those snakes over your friends."

Had the argument been left the Gryffindor golden trio, it would have probably ended in a fight, but at this stage, Ginny intervened. "Don't be childish, Ron! Those Slytherins have been with us all year. Let's listen to what Harry has to say."

"Sure, take their side against your own brother", spat Ron.

"If you used your head, you would see I'm not taking any side. I just want to hear what Harry has to stay", retorted Ginny.

Ron sulked, but did not say any more, so, with an encouraging glance from Hermione, Harry started, "Ron, Ginny, I'm really sorry about having to keep things from you two, but I have to know a few things before talking. First, Dumbledore isn't going to be happy with the DA working over summer. This'll give you a headache with your parents. Do you want to come against your parents' wishes?"

Ron and Ginny exchanged glances, and Ginny answered, "We'll come, Harry."

Harry sighed, "Okay, if you are sure. I need to tell you one thing – the prophecy in the Department of Mysteries."

"It's smashed", spoke Ginny.

"Yeah, but Dumbledore knew the prophecy and told me. It says I am the only one who can kill Voldemort. I've no chance of fighting Voldemort as it is – I need every bit of practice I can get. Seeing as how Dumbledore has never tried to train me up, I've got no choice."

Ginny and Ron exchanged a glance. "Are you sure you cannot depend on Dumbledore, Harry", asked Ginny gently.

Harry continued miserably, "I've relied on him all these years, and even knowing the prophecy, he has done nothing to train me up. I'm on my own now." He looked at the two Weasleys seriously, "You realise your parents are going to back Dumbledore, don't you?"

Ron had been angry and peeved, but seeing Harry so miserable, and torn, he softened, "No matter, mate. We'll be with you."

"What if your parents find out, and put an end to this?", whispered Harry.

"Don't worry", smiled Ginny grimly. "Fred and George need some summer help. We'll be coming with them every day to Diagon Alley. And hopefully, mum won't find out."

Harry still looked pensive, and Ginny read the look. "Listen, Harry, we're going to stand by you, no matter what anyone else does. And we're not going to tell Dumbledore."

Harry voiced the question that had been nagging him, "Ron, when you, Fred and George came to pick me up in the summer after first year, your family had permission from Dumbledore to rescue' me, didn't it? Same before the Quidditch World Cup."

Ron's mouth fell open. "How ..?"

"Never mind. Are you with me or Dumbledore?" Harry looked directly into their eyes.

Ginny spoke, "I owe you my life, Harry. I'll pick your side no matter what."

Ron nodded, "Listen, mate. We're on your side."

Harry sighed, "Thanks. You've no idea how glad this makes me. Okay, then. If you're willing, we can try our hand at disinformation. Ron, I think someone is intercepting my post. Hedwig has a _confundus_ charm on her. I will be sending you a lot of false information in my letters this summer. Will you play along?"

Ron burst out in laughter at this. "Sure, Harry. Listen, mate. If you need any help, call us. We'll come as fast as possible."

"Thanks, you two", said Harry with genuine gratitude in his eyes. "Hermione, give them the journals. We'll use the journals for the real information." Hermione dug into her schoolbag and brought out two more journals. She told them that they could use the journal to talk to both Harry and her, and explained how it worked. Soon, the train came to King's Cross, and students started alighting.

Just as the students were disembarking from the train, Harry ran up to Cho, and whispered, "Cho, can your mum use the journal to talk with me? If yes, it would be best. If not, we'll use the journal to set up a proper time to meet."

Cho nodded that she had understood and all students alighted at the station.

--- (Scene Break) ---

­

The return trip to Privet Drive was uneventful, and the threats the Weasleys, Tonks and Mad-Eye Moody had held forth to the Dursleys seemed to have had a good effect, since they had gone back to favourite the treatment Harry expected of them – completely ignoring him. Harry still had had a few chores to do, but it was nothing terribly onerous and he was safely ensconced in his room by late evening. He picked up the charmed journal Hermione had made for the coordinators of the DA and a quill, initiated contact with Cho, and wrote

"Hello Cho! Had a safe trip?"

"Yes, indeed!", came the reply in a neat, pretty hand. "And you?"

"Okay."

"Well, Harry, mum is here and she doesn't like to be kept waiting. We'll talk later on, but now I am handing over to mum."

A few seconds later, written in a different feminine hand, crisp and firm, came, "Hello, Mr. Potter, I trust you are well."

"I am fine, thank you. And you?"

"Thanks for your inquiry, I am fine, Mr. Potter, but shall we get to business?"

"Please call me Harry."

"Very well, Harry. Let us begin with the will of Mr. Sirius Black. I will not go into the full legalese and provisions of Mr. Black's will. Briefly, he bequeaths small parts of his fortune to Mr. Remus Lupin, Mrs. Andromeda Tonks, and Ms. Nymphadora Tonks, and there are several endowments and charities. The remainder of his fortune, along with the Black family estate, is left to you."

Mrs. Chang continued, "Mr. Black requested that I contact you first, before letting anyone else know of the provisions of his will. He was particularly insistent that Professor Dumbledore not know anything of his will until the public reading, and that I take all possible measures to ensure secrecy. The public reading should be held within six weeks from his death. However, it is my duty to warn you that Mr. Black inserted two clauses in his will that could be legally contested in the High Council."

"Sorry, you've lost me – what is the High Council?"

"Merlin, Harry! The High Council is the highest authority over pureblood families. It is made up of fifty of the most noble, pureblood families in the realm. In matters of inheritance, succession and other civil disputes of pureblood families, the ruling of the High Council is supreme, and neither the Wizengamot, nor the Ministry has any powers to overturn its rulings. In fact, the Ministry is legally bound to uphold and enforce the decisions of the High Council."

Mrs. Chang paused momentarily and then continued, "But to get to the two clauses that could be challenged. The first and simpler of the two problems is anointing you the Head of the Black family. The one challenge here is that Mr. Black himself was disowned by his parents, but I have taken the liberty of checking on the records, and have found that although he fled his home, his family took no legal steps to disinherit him. So, his wishes are likely to be honoured, even if he himself was never able to take up the mantle of the Head of the House. However, the Blacks were an ancient pureblood family and the magic of the family might prevent you from becoming the Head of House, since you are not a Black by blood. If the magic of the ring accepts you, you will most probably be confirmed as the Head of the House of Black. Mrs. Malfoy, a Black by blood, could contest your appointment, but this contest is likely to be in your favour, for few in the Council will dare rule against the magic of the Head of House ring."

"If the ring doesn't accept me?"

"Then Lady Malfoy will be the next Head of House of Black."

"I can't challenge her appointment?"

"I am afraid not, since you are not a Black."

She continued, "The second and far more serious problem is the one emancipating you, making you an adult legally, subject to your consent. Do you wish to be emancipated and treated as an adult, Harry?"

Harry was euphoric – finally, he would be able to get away from the Dursleys, able to perform magic during summer, and make a whole lot of things easier. The one downside was the loss of protection in Privet Drive, but Harry considered it a perfectly acceptable risk. He had faced Voldemort half a dozen times and survived, and his chances would be better if he were free from his summer prison restrictions. He answered succinctly, "Yes!"

Mrs. Chang began, "Mr. Black indicated that this would make Prof. Dumbledore very upset and he or his proxies in the High Council would challenge this clause. The problem here, Harry, is that to emancipate you, Mr. Black had recourse to an old law, which allows the reduction of the age of adulthood by one year. During times of crisis, when it was inadvisable for an Ancient House to lack a Head of House, the age of adulthood would be reduced by one year. This is contingent on the approval of the guardians of the child in question, apart from the consent of the High Council. Normally, Harry, the consent of the Council is a mere formality once the guardians approve of the decision. In your case, however, this is a huge legal tangle"

"What?! Why?"

"The problem starts with the fact that the muggles you are staying with – your uncle and aunt, I believe – should never have been your guardians in the first place. In fact, they were expressly prohibited from being your guardians."

"How do you know that?"

"Circe's curls! Have you never seen your parents will?"

"No!"

Harry could almost hear Mrs. Chang sigh. However, she continued, "I have been working on your case for a week now, Harry, and I have taken the liberty of checking your parents' will. You are the principal beneficiary of your parents' will, although there are several other minor beneficiaries, including Hogwarts, the Dursleys and some charitable institutions. You are also to become the Head of the House of Potter once you become an adult. Your parents had put in place a mechanism for you to be placed in safety in case of their untimely demise. Since Lady Alice Longbottom was deemed mentally unfit to be your guardian, the Dursleys have been your guardians, with Prof. Dumbledore being their advisor in matters regarding the magical world."

"Wait a minute! Alice Longbottom was to be my guardian?"

"Gracious! She is your godmother, Harry! Didn't you know that?"

Harry was fuming – how much had that old coot kept from him? And more importantly, why? He calmed himself, and wrote, "No, I didn't know. Who were to be my guardians?"

Mrs. Chang explained, "Your parents mentioned that, in case of their premature death, the guardians should, in order of priority be, Mr. Sirius Black, Mrs. Alice Longbottom, Mr. Edgar Bones, and Mr. Peter Pettigrew. Since Mr. Bones predeceased your parents, and Mr. Pettigrew is now officially dead, you would have been in the custody of Mr. Black or Mrs. Alice Longbottom. With Mr. Black's incarceration in Azkaban and Mrs. Longbottom's condition, you had no guardians and were placed in the custody of the Dursleys, on the advice of Prof. Dumbledore. Prof. Dumbledore is the advisor of the Dursleys on magical matters. Technically, the relatives or next of kin of any of your suggested guardians could have claimed custody of you. Perhaps, they did not even know of these provisions."

"But we digress from the main point, Harry. The problem is that even if your muggle guardians were to approve emancipating you, their status as muggles makes it doubtful if the High Council would regard their decision favourably, especially if Prof. Dumbledore opposes it. Further, Prof. Dumbledore's cohorts in the Council might want to resolve the question of whether the Dursleys have ever had the legal right to be your guardians, given that they were expressly prohibited from being that. This would initiate a long legal battle."

There was a long pause. "What would happen if my emancipation were rejected?"

"You would remain a ward of the Dursleys, and things would continue as they are."

"If my emancipation is challenged, what would be my chances of success, Mrs. Chang?"

"At present, your chances are not good – in fact, they are pretty bleak. There are two ways to approach this problem, Harry. The first way is to try and enforce Sirius' will. This is likely to be very difficult given the prejudices against muggles in the Council, and the fact that the greatest of the Light Wizards is opposing it. The second is to find a new guardian for you. Mr. Black informed me that the muggles you live with are not particularly pleasant; so getting a new non-muggle guardian is a distinct possibility. Then you can have your new guardian emancipate you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chang. What would you advise?"

"I suggest playing it by the ear, Harry. That we file papers to find a new guardian for you, but try to enforce Mr. Black's will. Depending on the situation, we can try the one or the other. Further, your if there are many choices for being your guardian, your wishes in choice of the guardian would be paramount."

"Thank you, Mrs. Chang. You have given me a lot to think about. I will let you know of my decision soon."

"Very good, Harry. I will wish you a very good night, then"

"Goodnight, Mrs. Chang. And wish Cho the same."


	8. Of Irregularities at St Mungo

**Black Vengeance – 7**

**Of Irregularities at St. Mungo and two Conversations**

It has been previously remarked that the last day of Harry's fifth year was a momentous one. While Harry was busy with the DA meetings, and the remainder of the wizarding world with dealing with the damage done by Voldemort's attacks the previous night, Emmeline Vance was having to deal with a different set of problems. Healer Emmeline Vance, the lady in charge of the Magical Core damage ward at St. Mungo, was not a happy woman that day. Nothing had gone right for the tall, stately middle-aged woman since morning. First thing in the morning, Healer Miriam Strout had been reported ill with a nasty case of dragon pox. Strout handled the long-term spell damage ward, and as the only other person at St. Mungo who could handle cases of long-term spell damage, Emmeline had been informed that she would have to shoulder Miriam's work for the coming month. Next, the Hospital Supervisor had told Vance that there would be a full scale audit of the various medical potions and their ingredients in all the wards, and this work would have to be completed in the next four weeks and reports dispatched to the Ministry. In view of the return of the Dark Lord, Hospital Supervisor Marcia O'Higgins had appealed for increased grants to gear up the hospital to deal with wartime casualties. Marcia's request had been granted, but with a caveat; the Ministry wanted a full report of the projected expenditures for the coming year. This meant a huge increase of workload for Emmeline, not to mention having to deal with the irritating, officious, pompous and self-important bureaucrats. Handling just her ward would have been annoying enough, but now she had to complete this idiotic report for Strout's ward as well – and all to satisfy a few desk-bound abominations who probably would not comprehend a tenth of what she would have to send! Bitterly, she wondered if Strout was fabricating her illness to get out of the madness of the coming month. However, no object would be served by her ruminations, so she gave a sigh of resignation, pushed her greying, wavy hair out of her eyes, and began her task. Deciding to check on Strout's patients first, she looked up who her apprentice was. Once she had found the name, she picked up a pinch of floo powder and tossed it into the fire. "Apprentice Healer Brookes", she called.

A portly, short and sandy haired young woman answered, "Yes, Healer Vance?"

"Healer Strout is on sick leave for the next month. I will be handling her patients. Can you get the list of her patients, and the course of treatment being followed?"

"Of course, Healer. I'll be in your office in ten minutes."

A few minutes later, Emmeline was reading the reports of the damage and illnesses suffered by the various patients, and the therapy that was being attempted. She studied reports of the damage suffered by Gilderoy Lockhart, and agreed with the mind-strengthening potions and the focussing charms being attempted on him. The damage of Agnes Fairchild was extensive – no one knew the actual occurrence that had brought to the state of a half-canine (or half lupine), but if Emmeline had to guess, she would say that the idiot woman had tried to turn herself into a werewolf or some other magical canine, with disastrous consequences. The form-restoring charms and potions had done very little to help her, and Vance wondered if the magical core was seriously damaged, preventing the therapies from working. Finally, having read up the histories of illnesses of various other patients, she came to the case of the Longbottoms. This stirred a deep interest and sympathy in her – she had been quite respectful of Frank and Alice in the previous war. Although the two aurors – or rather, the two ex-aurors – were never particular friends of Emmeline, she had been quite horrified at their fate. She herself had never examined the two, but from the details that Prof. Dumbledore had given at the Order meetings, she had learnt that the two had suffered irrevocable damage to their minds. Poor devils, she grieved aloud for her two friends. Then, she picked up their file and began eagerly thumbing through the reports of the course of treatment the duo had been given. She was horrified to find very few details of it. Even worse, no complete evaluation of the actual damage existed in the report. She frowned – surely, Strout knew better than to treat mental damage with inadequate diagnosis. What the deuce! No – given that the two were aurors, there must be a reason why the actual details were not in the file. She fire-called Brookes again, and ten minutes later, the apprentice was seated before her.

"Brookes, where are the details of the trauma suffered by Frank and Alice Longbottom, and what treatment is being given to them?"

"I am not exactly sure, Healer. Healer Strout personally handles that case. Something to do with security."

Emmeline opened her eyes wide – this was an unheard of violation of all principles and ethics. The Healers were bound not to keep any medical details from their apprentices. While in the case of high security patients, the various maladies and the treatment was omitted from their files, nothing would be hidden from the apprentices. It was actually common sense – in case the Healers were incapacitated, their apprentices would know the details so the patients would not suffer. "You mean to say that you have never examined the Longbottoms?! What possessed Miriam to black out all particulars?"

The apprentice made no answer, and Vance wondered whether Miriam had decided that telling Brookes was a breach of security. Therefore, Emmeline cut in, "Who was the apprentice before you?"

"Avernicus Sorenson, now in plant and poison damage."

"Excellent!" With that, Emmeline flooed Avernicus, and spoke, "Avernicus, what course of remedy was followed for the Longbottoms? Do you have specifics of their problem?"

"Sorry, Emmeline, but Healer Strout's the only one who can answer your questions. None of the apprentices were allowed to examine the Longbottoms or know about the treatment being pursued. Apparently, it was on the request of Lady Augusta Longbottom, who feared that it would draw the attention of You-Know-Who's followers."

"Thank you, Avernicus. Good day!", replied Emmeline frowning. This made even less sense. A blanket ban on tidings would not serve the interests of the Longbottoms; on the contrary, it would exacerbate their danger. The minions of the Dark Lord tended to assume the worst and act whenever they were suspicious. The news of the Longbottoms' helplessness would serve their cause more than any news blackout.

She then spun back to the apprentice. "Since Healer Strout is currently incommunicado, let us go and meet the Longbottoms. We'll determine what needs to be done once we examine their condition. And, by the way Brookes, try to set up a meeting for me with Augusta Longbottom!"

A few hours later, Emmeline Vance had ordered an entire battery of tests on Frank and Alice to determine the extent of their damage. She had gone to meet with her two old colleagues from the Order of the Phoenix, but their condition was pathetic; they were totally incapable of any speech, and Frank Longbottom seemed completely oblivious to her presence. At first, it seemed that Alice Longbottom was in a similar case; however, after a few minutes of trying, she had simply handed Emmeline a Droobles bubble gum wrapper and resumed staring blankly into space. Emmeline's first instinct was to throw it away, but something deep inside her told her it was important. She shrugged and pocketed it. She inspected the other patients, found their condition to be as comfortable and proper as possible. Her visit to Strout's ward finished, she returned to her office and started working on the chore set her by the obnoxious Ministry. She would deal with the problem as soon as she had received the results of her tests, and had had a meeting with Augusta Longbottom.

---(Scene Break)---

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Having finished speaking to Mrs. Chang, Harry put down the journal Hermione had given him. It was still too early and Harry did not feel like sleeping. He was too excited and restless to read, and had a lot on his mind. Foremost was the deaths of the Bones and Longbottoms, and Harry bitterly reflected that his actions in the Ministry had likely drawn Voldemort's attention to the Longbottoms. 'Great!', he thought. 'More people dead because they are my friends.' For the moment, there was little he could do to help either Neville or Susan. He sat down at his desk, wrote a short condolence message to both of them, urging them to let him know if he could do anything to help. Then he attached both notes to Hedwig and sent his owl to his two grieving friends. He stretched and looked out of the window – the clear night was tempting and Harry decided to go out into the yard. Pacing about easily, he was turning over the conversation he had just had with Mrs. Chang in his mind, when he heard a soft pop behind him. Harry's quidditch trained reflexes were excellent, and before the newcomer could adjust to the new surroundings found herself with a wand pointed at her heart. "Harry!", she cried. "Take it easy! It's me, Tonks."

Harry spoke, "What did you first tell me when you came into my room."

"I told you I was not as good as my mum at household charms." Harry's head snapped up when Tonks mentioned her mother. Her mother, Andromeda, was a Black and a sudden idea flashed in Harry's mind. If only ...

Harry nodded, pocketing his wand. "Dumbledore sent you to watch over me, cousin Tonks?"

Tonks gaped, "Cousin?!"

"Well, considering Sirius was my godfather, and your mum is his cousin – it makes us related."

Tonks shook her head. "You've got a queer humour, kiddoo. And yes, Dumbledore wants to keep you safe."

"Tonks, will you answer a couple of questions?"

"What about, Harry?"

"Your mum is a Black, right?"

"Was, Harry. She was disowned and disinherited because she married a muggleborn."

"Legally? I mean – Sirius ran away from his house, but he was never disinherited."

Tonks laughed bitterly, "Regulus died before Sirius' father, Harry. As Sirius was the last Black male left, he could not be disowned. Nothing like that applied to my mum."

Harry sighed inwardly – if she was deemed not a Black for legal purposes, it might be a problem for him to choose as a guardian – there would be no real binding reason. Still, it might be a good idea to explore this possibility further.

"But by blood, she is a Black, is she not?"

"That counts for little, kiddoo. Someone disgraced and disowned is considered to be against the family values. But why are you so interested in the Blacks?"

Harry thought quickly. He decided to give her a bit of truth dressed up. "You know, after Sirius spoke of his family, I wondered what they were like. I never got to know other Blacks apart from Sirius, and I can hardly ask Bellatrix or Narcissa for information now, can I?"

Tonks muttered, "I am not sure mum wants to talk about her family. She doesn't really speak of her original family or childhood."

"Another thing, Tonks. Did Dumbledore speak of getting me any training over summer?"

"Training for what, Harry?"

"Duelling, defence against dark arts, anything connected with training to keep myself alive."

"Not as far as I know. But I can ..."

At that moment, the back door of the Dursley residence opened, and Uncle Vernon bellowed, "Boy! What are you doing there?! Oh no, you've got your freak friends here! Get in, boy, and tell those freaks to keep away."

"But, Uncle Vernon .."

"Get in now, or you are sleeping in the yard."

Harry sighed. "When are you next on duty, Tonks?"

"Day after tomorrow night."

"We'll speak then if it is okay with you."

Tonks nodded. "Goodnight then, Tonks."

---(Scene Break)---

After a tongue-lashing from his uncle, Harry retired to his summer prison. He was wondering what further he could do that evening when his journal began to glow. He snatched it up, and saw that it was Hermione who was trying to contact him.

"Harry, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Hermione. How are your parents?"

"They are shaken, Harry, but otherwise fine. I have a bit of news."

"Tell me."

"Harry, the letter I sent with Hedwig after Theodore's warning never reached my parents. But Hedwig returned the next morning to Hogwarts. What happened to the letter?"

Harry told her about the _confundus _charm on Hedwig, and the likelihood that the post had been intercepted. Hermione was aghast, but wondered, "But why, Harry? What had anyone to gain by getting my parents killed?"

"I can think of two things, Hermione. One – it could have been put by Umbitch; she could've got rid of the letter. Two – it could've been a death nibbler at Hogwarts."

He continued, "Hermione, did your parents recognise who helped them?"

"No, Harry. They know nothing except that it was a witch and two wizards."

Harry then proceeded to tell Hermione about the talk he had had with Mrs. Chang. Hermione was interested. "Have you considered possibilities for your new guardian?"

"Hermione, my parents selected Edgar Bones, Alice Longbottom, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew for my guardians. Now Susan and Neville are the last left of the Bones and the Longbottom families respectively; so there is no one from those two families who can be my guardian. Andromeda Black-Tonks was disowned as a Black; so, I doubt either Tonks or her mother would be considered favourably if I tried electing them for my guardians. In any case, Tonks is loyal to Dumbledore, so I am not sure it'd be any freer for me. Pettigrew has no family that we know of, so we can rule that out."

Harry could almost hear Hermione sigh. "Harry, I can ask my parents .."

"I don't think the High Council would be happy if I chose muggles as my guardians."

"The Weasleys ..", began Hermione.

"That's what Dumbledore would want."

"What can you do then?"

Harry shrugged internally, "Not sure."

"When are you going to try out the Black ring?"

"We've not decided the date, but sometime next week."

Hermione signed off, "Goodnight, then, Harry. We will talk tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Hermione!"


	9. Of Order Meetings and Nightmares

**Black Vengeance – 8**

**Of Order Meetings and Nightmares**

(Author's note: I would like to thank JBern for his gracious permission to use his idea in using the inferi to breach wards. I strongly recommend his story, To Fight the Coming Darkness', which is very novel, balanced, fast paced and has an interesting ship.

Secondly, I have been receiving quite a few mails asking me to reconsider the ship, especially on the plea that Harry/Hermione is overdone. It is true that Harry/Hermione is very common, but I would like to leave the ship to my readers. I will need to begin on the ship in Chapter 11, so I will leave the poll open one more week. If any of you want to specify your preferences for the ship, please do so within that time – this is the last chance).

­

---(Beginning of the Chapter)---

While Harry had been conversing with Hermione, the Order of the Phoenix was meeting in the erstwhile home of Sirius Black. Albus Dumbledore stood up to address the group huddled around a large round oaken table. "Is everyone here tonight?"

"Nymphadora Tonks is guarding Harry. I don't see Emmeline Vance, but all others are here", returned Moody in his gravel like voice.

"Excellent! I have called you all here because of the recent successful strikes of Tom, and the recent situation that has arisen after the death of Sirius. But first, I must ask all of you to stand up and raise your goblets to the memory of a brave and honourable man, who should be sitting here with us." Dumbledore spoke, pointedly looking at Snape. With an ill-disguised bitterness, Severus Snape rose and picked up his goblet. "Sirius Black!" chorused everyone, downing the drinks. Dumbledore continued, "Sirius Black was a man who, despite his adversity, and his tragic life, was a brave warrior for the Light. His courage and fortitude in face of being accused of a crime he was not guilty of and his nobility in not becoming embittered because of it should be a model for us all."

All the assembled observed a minute's silence for Sirius Black, and then Dumbledore's voice brought them to the present. "Let us now proceed with our business. Kingsley, what have you to report about the deaths of the Longbottom and the Bones families?"

At this moment, the door opened, and Emmeline Vance, still dressed in her hospital uniform and her ward scarf, hurried in. "Sorry, folks. I was detained by a couple of urgent cases. I just got away. What have I missed?"

"Not much, Emmeline. We were just about to discuss the Longbottom and Bones murders. Not many clues to go on.", answered Arthur Weasley.

"The Longbottom murders! What on earth happened?", gasped Emmeline.

"Good heavens! It has been on the Wizarding Wireless all day and in the Evening Prophet also. What world have you been in?"

"I've been very busy all day, Arthur. The Longbottoms were murdered, you say?", she inquired.

"They have been wiped out."

"Curious coincidence", she muttered.

"What did you say, Emmeline", cut in Dumbledore sharply.

"I just discovered something strange about the Longbottoms today, and they have been attacked and killed", she frowned. Then she added, "But go on – who was killed and how?"

Kingsley began in his slow, deep voice, "It was an exceptionally brutal set of murders. The wards outside were breached by wizards, and then werewolves seem to have been used to attack, for both Augusta and Enid were completely torn to ribbons. Algernon was found dead outside the home – he seems to have tried to escape, and fallen to a killing curse outside. Inside, however, even the house elves were not spared, and all living beings inside the Longbottom bungalow perished gruesomely. We have issued a detain-and-question alert for the infamous werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. We hope he is going to be apprehended soon. There were no other leads there."

"Now what have you discovered, Emmeline?", questioned Dumbledore.

"I found out that Frank and Alice Longbottoms' condition has been kept completely off the files at St. Mungo. There are no documents of the diagnoses or the treatments followed, nor do the apprentice healers know anything about their conditions."

"That is not particularly surprising, Emmeline", murmured Dumbledore. "In the aftermath of the attack, we did not want to disclose how badly Frank and Alice were impaired. We all hoped they would recover. Augusta particularly wanted to make sure that no one found out what had happened to them. I guess the orders were never rescinded", mused Dumbledore.

Kingsley continued, "In the case of the Bones family, it appears that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named used a bunch of inferi to break the wards around the Bones mansion, and then assaulted Amelia, her brother and her sister-in-law with at least five to one numerical superiority. Also killed at the same time in the Bones Manor was Amelia's secretary, Eileen Bell. All evidence indicates that Amelia, at the very least, put up a stiff resistance. Whether any of the attackers were killed is unknown as none of them, apart from the inferi were found at the Bones Mansion. Judging from the magical residue in the area, the spells that seem to have been exchanged leads me to believe that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself was there. No other clues have been turned up."

"Were there any aurors to guard Amelia, or the Longbottoms?", queried McGonagall.

"I have not heard of it, Minerva", returned Kingsley.

"Very well, in that case, Arthur, can you please let us know the situation in the Ministry", asked Dumbledore.

Arthur began in his soft voice, "Fudge's leadership is being questioned by everyone and he is facing an open revolt. The deaths of the Longbottoms could not have come at a worse time for him. He was still being hauled over the coals for his stupidity in ignoring You-Know-Who's return. There is talk that there is going to be a no-confidence motion against Fudge early next week. If there were to be one, it is all but certain that Fudge will be ousted."

"Any idea who will be moving a no-confidence motion", questioned Bill Weasley.

"Amos Diggory very likely will. He still has not forgiven Fudge his son's death and the mess afterward."

"If Fudge were removed, who will become the next minister?", asked Hestia Jones.

"Ah!", smiled Dumbledore. "That is the problem. The tradition is that the head of Magical Law Enforcement would be the acting minister until the next one is elected. With no head of MLE, it will be likely held by the next in line in MLE."

"Who would that be?", queried Doge.

"Well, there are three people who could succeed Amelia. First is the chief auror – Rufus Scrimgeour; second – head of hit wizards, Gawain Robards, and finally, the chief investigator of magical crime in Britain – our own Kingsley Shacklebolt."

There were shouts of "Kingsley, that's great.", as Dumbledore continued, "One of these three people will have to take over as the interim Minister, until there is an election for the new Minister."

"Who is likely .."

"Well, technically it is the Minister who appoints the Heads of the Departments, with the Wizengamot having to ratify his decisions. I seriously doubt Fudge will have either the time or the inclination to appoint a new head of MLE, or even that any of his decisions will be welcome in the Wizengamot. So, it is likely that the Wizengamot will have to jump in and appoint a new head of MLE and consequently, interim Minister."

"Should we canvass for Kingsley in the Wizengamot?", queried Emmeline.

"I think that would be an excellent idea. I will be doing it myself, and I could use any help any of you can come up with.", returned Dumbledore.

"Severus, is Voldemort up to anything now? Is he specifically backing anyone for Minister?"

"No, Headmaster. All three are unacceptable to him. He will likely fight the new Minister on specific laws in the Wizengamot."

"About the murders of the Bones, and the Longbottoms ..."

"Nothing has been discussed. He is still unsure whom to trust."

"How long would it take to oust Fudge", questioned Bill.

"Well, if the no-confidence motion is tabled on Monday, we will need to give him a week to prepare his defence. After that, it should be done in another two to three days. By next weekend, we should be rid of Fudge, and one more week after that, we should have a new interim Minister."

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "From next meeting on, we shall be meeting at Hogwarts – at least for the summer. This place may no longer be safe", announced Dumbledore.

"What? Why?!", came a dozen voices.

"Since the death of Sirius, we have not been able to determine who the new owner is. Alastor and I tested the wards here today, and found them in perfect condition. It is therefore likely that Sirius' heir is either Remus or Harry. But, it is still best not to tempt the Fates, since the heir could also be either Narcissa or Bellatrix."

Dumbledore persisted speaking, "Very well. That brings us to the last point of tonight's agenda. Since both Neville Lonbottom and Susan Bones are the last surviving members of their families, there is no one to care for them, I am afraid. Also, it may not be safe for them outside. They will both be of age in a few months, but until then, they need to be protected and advised. I will be inviting them here to the headquarters. It will be much safer for them here. One of us will have to stay here at all times with them."

"Albus, would it not be better for Mr. Potter to be here as well? He took Sirius' death very badly – I am not sure leaving him alone with his uncle and aunt is a good idea.", remarked McGonagall.

"I am afraid it is impossible at the moment, Minerva. He needs to be there to ensure that the wards are recharged. He should be rejoining us in around four weeks."

"Very well, when will you be inviting Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Bones?"

"I intend to go right away and speak to them."

"Good! I will come down with you to meet Mr. Longbottom – I need to speak to him about his parents.", commented Emmeline Vance.

"I think that concludes our meeting for tonight. We will meet after the weekend."

Motioning to Emmeline to wait, Dumbledore waited patiently until all the others had left Grimmauld Place. He cast a couple of privacy wards, ensuring that they were alone, and unnoticed by others, and then began, "Emmeline, can this not wait? The poor boy has just lost his family. Why don't you give him a couple of weeks?"

"Albus, his parents' real condition is unknown to everyone as of now. I need to determine the diagnosis made and the treatment given to them before I can handle their case. Further, if he doesn't know, it is my duty to keep him apprised of the situation." She rose to her feet and turned toward the door, her back to Dumbledore.

"Very well, Emmeline", Dumbledore sighed wearily. He pointed his wand at her back, and said sharply, _"Obliviate!"_

---(Scene Break)---

­

Harry Potter lay in bed asleep, tossing and turning, as his nightmares had chosen to revisit him that night. This was not so unusual an occurrence – Harry rarely had had a calm night since the death of Sirius, but usually his nightmares had Sirius, Cedric, or his parents dying or unpleasant things happening to his close friends. Tonight's nightmare was unusual, even by his standards. He saw Voldemort standing in front of a large Victorian mansion atop a wide grassy knoll. Voldemort spoke in a high, cold voice, "Are your sister and nephew ready, Bella?"

A tall, dark haired witch at his side, whom Harry just noticed, spoke submissively, "Yes, Master. They are awaiting you." Hatred rushed through Harry's veins as he recognised Bellatrix – Sirius' killer! His emotions threatened to consume him; however, it seemed that his nightmare had a volition of its own and cared little for his feelings. "Let us go in", remarked Voldemort.

Another man, tall, burly and blond knocked on the door sharply. It was immediately opened and a house elf ushered the three into a dimly lit drawing room. Two people, likely mother and son judging from the similarity of appearance, immediately knelt before Voldemort. Harry recognised at once the pale, pointed face and the blond hair – Draco Malfoy! The other must be his mother. The witch kissed the hem of Voldemort's robes, and spoke in a soft voice, "We welcome you, my Lord, to our humble abode. How may we be of service?"

"Thank you, Lady Malfoy", returned Voldemort in his icy voice. "But it is your son who can be of use to me."

Draco spoke in a low voice, still on his knees, and head bent, "I am honoured, my Lord."

"It is excellent to see that Lucius trained you so well in obedience, and that you are so eager to serve me.", purred Voldemort. "I expect better competence than your father has hitherto displayed."

Draco flushed, but replied in the same mild voice, "I will do all I can, Master."

"Very well. You will take my mark right away, and I have a special task for you", murmured Voldemort silkily.

"But, my Lord ..", interrupted the witch from her submissive posture on the ground.

"Silence!", snarled Voldemort, and the witch paled. Turning to Malfoy, he commanded, "Draco, roll up the left sleeve of your robe."

"Master, please ..", besought the witch on the floor in a piteous voice.

"Be quiet_"_, rasped Voldemort, pointing his wand at the witch. Narcissa looked appealingly at her sister, but Bellatrix looked away.

Voldemort walked towards the place Draco knelt. "Your arm!" Draco held up his left arm. Gripping the proferred arm tightly in his left hand, Voldemort placed the tip of his wand on the forearm, and muttered a spell. Draco screamed and howled in pain as the skin in contact with the wand burnt black. A few moments later, the pain diminished, and Draco all but fell to the floor. "Tsk! Tsk! Young warrior, you have a lot to learn, not the least of which is tolerance of pain. Your first task will be to kill Dumbledore."

Narcissa shrieked in dismay, "My Lord, I implore you .."

Voldemort's patience was at an end. "_Crucio_", he snarled, pointing his wand at Lady Malfoy. Narcissa screamed and writhed on the ground. Ten seconds later, Voldemort lifted his wand, and the witch's struggles subsided. "Bellatrix, remove your sister", ordered Voldemort. Looking at Narcissa, "It is fortunate for you that I am merciful tonight. After Lucius' bungling, you deserve far worse punishment. Do you understand, Narcissa?"

"Yes, Master", she whimpered. He watched impassively as Bellatrix helped her sister to her feet and led her out the door. "Bella ...", began Narcissa. "Be quiet, and learn to obey!", growled Bellatrix at her sister.

Once the two women had disappeared, the Dark Lord spoke, "I shall expect you tomorrow morning at my headquarters. Your aunt, Bellatrix, will bring you with her and will inform you of the details then. Succeed, and you will have honour and riches beyond the dreams of mortals! If you fail – well, rest assured that any failure will be repaid with pain of the sort that will make you beg for death. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master", replied Draco dully.

"Good! You will not speak of this to anyone. And as a reminder of how I treat failure – _Crucio_", Voldemort murmured silkily.

Draco screamed and with him, Harry screamed in his bed, grabbing his scar. The pain was intolerable, and suddenly, Harry was jolted out of his nightmare. Shuddering, Harry woke up, and tried to get to his feet. In his haste, he stumbled and knocked his knee painfully against the bed frame. The physical pain seemed to help him overcome the pain he had just experienced in his nightmare. He remembered Hermione's injunctions – write down any dreams of Voldemort, as soon as you can. Grabbing a quill and a piece of parchment, he began to scribble down as much of his dream before the details went out of his mind.


	10. Of Bells, Bones, and Longbottom

**Black Vengeance – 9**

**Of Bells, Bones, Longbottom and Disturbing News**

(Author's note: Thanks for all the opinions regarding the ship. I did some serious thinking and came to the following conclusions. I bow to the will of my readers and this story will be Harry/Hermione, as I poll has decided. But the point of my critics has been taken. I am writing another story, which I will start posting in a few days. My new story will have a Harry/Hannah ship.

The present chapter of the story sets the various characters in position for the plot, and next chapter onwards, the story is going to be much faster, and more action packed.)

---(Beginning of the Chapter)---

Susan Bones, now the last remaining member of the time-honoured Bones family, sighed softly as she brushed her reddish-brown locks out of her eyes. Although her own sorrow for her own parents and aunt was all-consuming, she had elected to repress that misery to sympathise with the agony of the Bells. A few hours earlier, just after she descended from the school train at the King's Cross Station, she had spoken to Katie Bell and her parents, seeking their permission to attend the funeral of Eileen Bell (Katie's sister), Amelia's secretary. Her parents and aunt Amelia would be buried in four days with full honours in a more pompous ceremony in which the Ministry bigwigs would be present. It struck her as particularly callous that everyone would choose to ignore Eileen Bell, who had also died in the same attack just because Eileen worked for auntie and was not a Ministry employee. But then, she reflected bleakly, the Bells were not influential enough and the Honourable Minister and his lackeys could not be bothered to commiserate with the grief of the Bell family.

Susan remembered sweet-tempered and vivacious Eileen very well. Eileen had been a good friend of the Hufflepuff girl, and Susan had no intention of letting the joining the Ministry's ignore-the-unfortunate-secretary facade. When she had spoken to the Mr. and Mrs. Bell, and their other daughter, Katie, the Bells had been very gracious about her request and Mr. Bell understood the sorrow afflicting the last Bones family member. He and his wife had invited Susan to spend the next few days with them, insisting that it was no trouble and that it would be extremely unbecoming for Susan to spend the next few days alone in the house that was the scene of a grisly tragedy. Susan had been extremely grateful for the invitation – truth be told, she was very uncomfortable about having to go back to the Bones family Manor. It held too many memories of the recently deceased, and she did not want to face them until she had come to accept the news. Right now, she was in a state of shock, and her benumbed brain had not yet considered the implications of the tragedy.

In the Bell home, Susan and the Bells had had a quiet supper and Susan and Katie had retreated into their bedroom – they would be sharing a room for the night.

"I am so sorry", Susan mumbled to Katie Bell, for what seemed the umpteenth time. "If there is anything I can do to help, please ..."

Katie turned her tear streaked face to Susan. She had never met her sister's boss, but if she was anything like her niece, then she must have been a really nice person. Although Katie herself and Susan had both been at Hogwarts for the past five years, they had rarely spoken. But Susan seemed like a very nice and pleasant person and Katie put an arm round Susan's shoulder. "Listen, I can understand what you're feeling. There is no need to say anything. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?"

Katie had observed the faraway, almost detached look on Susan's face. She whispered softly, "Susan, is there anything bothering you? Apart from ...", her voice trailed away. "Apart from this mess, I mean?" Katie's voice was stronger now.

"I don't know", muttered Susan.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking about ...", her voice trembled, before she continued, "m-my parents and auntie, and your sister. See – a few days ago, I got word that they might be in danger and sent them a warning. But still, no aurors were found guarding them. I want to know why."

Katie's head snapped up when she heard of the warning of the danger. "What did you say?", she queried roughly.

Susan gave Katie a brief version of the warning she had received, just leaving out Harry's name as the person who had given her the warning, and the message she had consequently sent her auntie. Susan finished, "Did the letter reach them? If not, why not? Did they not act on it? Why were there no aurors there, even if they knew that my family – and your sister – were in danger?"

Katie looked pensive as she looked away into the distance. "There may be a way to check if they received your letter. Last year, when my sister had a broken ankle, she used to work from home. Among other things, she used to sort mail for your aunt, and she kept a list of the letters that your aunt received. We can see if your letter was listed by her."

"Where is this list?"

"I think it must be still among her personal effects, or in her room at your place."

"Well, if it isn't too much trouble, d'you think we could check your sister's stuff tomorrow? It'll be good to find out if they actually got my letter."

"Sure. I don't think there'll be any problem with that. Mum'll let us do that much, I think."

Katie's eyes sparkled as she continued, "I swear I'll make those scum pay for this."

Susan nodded sagely, "Harry's training should help us there. At least, there's someone who has guts to stand up to You-Know-Who and his swine."

Katie sighed, "Well, we'll go to your place tomorrow. Is there anything else we should do tomorrow?"

"No, my parents and aunt Amelia arranged for me to be emancipated in case of any misfortune. We'll have to go to Gringotts after the funerals."

Katie's lip trembled and she did not trust herself to continue, "Okay, for now, try to get some sleep. Goodnight!"

---(Scene Break)---

Dumbledore's evening had not gone perfectly, after he and Emmeline had departed to get the two students. Firstly, they had found the Bones home abandoned and empty – there was no sign of Susan Bones. Deciding to pursue inquiries about the missing girl the following day, Dumbledore and Emmeline Vance had just apparated outside the Longbottom Manor. The old grey stone building was solid and immovable as ever. From the outside, there was no hint that this place had been the recent site of a tragedy. There was a single light in an upstairs room, and Dumbledore fathomed that Neville was staying alone in the horror-ridden house. With Emmeline still at his heels, he strode forward and rapped on the door with the brass knocker – a lion, carved on a small pedestal. The Longbottoms had long been in the frontline of the war with Voldemort, and they had paid the price for it. His ruminations were terminated when a house elf ushered them into the presence of Neville Longbottom, who from the looks of it, had been crying the last few hours in the solitude of the family home. Dumbledore introduced Emmeline Vance as a friend of his, and all of them sat down in the hall.

"My dear boy", began Dumbledore. "We came to make sure you were alright."

"Thanks, Professor. I'm fine", muttered Neville.

"Neville, have you had anything to eat yet?", questioned Dumbledore gently.

"No, sir, but I'm sure one of the house elves will take care of that."

"Not to worry", smiled Dumbledore, drawing his wand. A small wave and he had conjured a tea-tray with some sandwiches. He magicked it down to the hall table, and smiled at Neville. "Do try the sandwiches, my dear boy. They are my favourite flavours."

Neville obediently picked up a sandwich and a cup of tea. Sipping the tea, he muttered, "How can I help, sir?"

"Neville, as I said, we came to make sure you were alright. Also, it is not going to be safe for you here."

"I can manage, Professor."

"I've no doubt. Your grandmother would have been proud of the young man you have become. But for now, I think it might better if you were in a safer place."

Dumbledore's face clouded and became much more serious as he continued, "It is quite possible that the Death Eaters may come back for you. As such, I will place you in a safe place if you allow me."

"Do you know who was responsible for this, Professor?", asked Neville, waving his hand to indicate the recent outrage perpetrated on his family.

"We have a few clues, Neville. One of the Death Eaters we suspect is Fenrir Greyback."

Seeing Neville's blank look, Dumbledore continued, "He is one of the worst and most dangerous werewolves in existence."

"But why now? My gran and grand uncle were mostly neutral."

Dumbledore could guess why the Longbottoms had been targeted, but this was not the time to reveal the reasons to Neville. "I am afraid there is no way to know for sure, Neville", he returned gently.

"But it is getting late now, Neville. We must leave quickly. Please pack whatever you need for a couple of weeks."

Neville frowned. If he had to go into hiding, he would be essentially confined to the one place. This put a wrench in his plans to train with Harry over summer. Perhaps, Dumbledore could arrange something for him.

He summoned up enough courage to speak to the all powerful Headmaster, "Sir, it is just that I had a few plans for this summer."

"Indeed! What plans, may I ask? Perhaps it would be possible to reconcile your wishes with the present situation?"

"Well, sir, Harry's organising a defence group. He plans to help us all train."

Dumbledore's head snapped up at that. This was news to him. He had imagined Harry sunk in sorrow over Sirius, and here was the boy, recruiting and training up a group of followers. Dumbledore's first idea was to increase the watch on Harry, and confine him fully, either to Privet Drive or Grimmauld Place. But, if Harry's mind was made up, it was only a matter of time before the boy would find a way round any watch that Dumbledore might put up. Besides, Dumbledore wondered how Harry planned to get away with his violation of the Underage Magic Resitrictions. Finally, the Headmaster could ill afford to annoy Harry beyond a particular point. Pushed too hard, the boy might retaliate in unexpected ways. It was better to have a known problem, rather than an unknown one. Perhaps this could be turned into his advantage .. hmm? Putting up a calm facade, he queried, "What has he planned and how does he propose to train over summer?"

"I've no idea, sir. We're to meet in the Leaky Cauldron in two weeks."

"Anything else?"

"Well, he just asked us to keep our eyes open, and send any questions to Hermione Granger."

Dumbledore frowned. This was interesting indeed. Not only had Harry managed to guess that his mails were being intercepted, but also managed to come up with a scheme to communicate securely with the girl. Knowing nothing of how Harry communicated with Hermione would make things very difficult for Dumbledore to know what they were planning. He sighed – this girl was one unanticipated factor in his entire scheme surrounding Harry. While the muggleborn witch was indeed amenable to authority, she took her ethics a little too seriously for Dumbledore's comfort – there was no hope of getting her to cooperate with himself where Harry's secrets was concerned. He would have to do something about this girl. However, he answered calmly, "No matter, Neville. It is an excellent idea and I am sure we can arrange something to help you train. You'll keep me informed of this, will you not?"

Neville gulped. Harry had demanded secrecy, and here was Dumbledore asking him to break his word to Harry. Dumbledore noticed Neville's struggles, "My dear boy, you must see that Harry needs protection more than anyone else. He is Voldemort's number one target. Also, I am afraid, the poor boy is undergoing much stress at the moment, Neville. He has had a very unpleasant year. His godfather was killed recently in the Department of Mysteries. I rely on you to help him."

Neville sighed, "Yes, Professor. I'll do as you ask."

Dumbledore beamed, "Very well, then. Get what you need and we must be off."

With that, Neville called a house elf and had her pack some essentials for him. Then, he called out to Professor Dumbledore, "Sir, I'm ready."

---(Scene Break)---

Nightmares had a habit of pursuing Harry in waking life – the emerald eyed boy had learnt as much from bitter experience. Thus it was when he had snapped out of the dream involving Voldemort and Malfoy. He had scribbled all the details he remembered of it, intending to confide in Hermione in the morning. Finishing writing, he checked the time, and found that it was nearly morning. There was no use going back to sleep now. He spent an hour reading his old transfiguration book, thinking how he could use the various transfigurations in defence. Harry had been extremely impressed with Dumbledore's method of dealing with Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries, and he intended to work on his transfiguration in the coming days. At six in the morning, he went down and started on his chores. He was making breakfast for his oh-so-loving-family when Aunt Petunia came into the kitchen. "There is something we need to discuss.", she barked.

"What's it, Aunt Petunia", asked Harry turning around.

"Marge is coming down here in three days. Unlike last time, you're not to do anything .. unnatural while she is here."

"Marge is coming here?", he repeated dully.

"Are you deaf, boy? She is staying for a week. And while she is here you will stay in your room and not come out except when called. Do you understand?"

"Yes", sighed Harry.

"Good. If you break your word and do freakish things, you will regret it."

Harry sighed. Aunt Marge of all things. Just when he thought that things could not become worse – he would have to keep a tight hold of his temper. If only I could get away before she comes, he thought and suddenly froze. A sudden inspiration had occurred to him. He frowned. Perhaps, just perhaps ..


	11. Of Investigations and Interviews

**Black Vengeance – 10**

**Of Investigations, Interchanges and Interviews**

(Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in updating, folks. I was away over the last week and have just returned. Here is the new chapter. All criticism is welcome.

I have made a couple of assumptions here. I assumed that the Wizarding Social Services are part of DMLE – this is the closest, given the list of Departments in the Ministry (courtesy HP-Lexicon). Is anyone aware of where exactly Wizarding Social Services would fit? Also, I have always wondered why the Order never tried to get a source inside the Daily Prophet – being a newspaper, they probably hear a lot of things they do not print. It struck me as particularly ridiculous that they would get sources inside Gringotts and the Ministry, but completely ignore the most powerful news source of the Wizarding World.)

---(Beginning of the Chapter)---

Ampford Corfin, a tall, stern-eyed wizard in his late thirties, was busy flipping through the files of his latest cases. His sub-department handled, among other things, the cases of child welfare in the magical world, and consequently therefore, all issues pertaining to adoption and guardianship of children. Theoretically his sub-department was subordinate to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, but Amelia Bones had ensured that the various sub-departments had sufficient autonomy – something Ampford was grateful for. He was deep in his work when a quiet, slightly accented voice hailed him, "Mr. Corfin! How are you?"

"Cho! What a pleasant surprise!", he asked raising his head. Offering his hand to the pretty Asian witch, he smiled, "I'm fine. So how is Mei?" Mei Chang was an old friend of Ampford and he had a lot of respect for the law-witch.

"Mum's fine, Mr. Corfin. She sent me to check some records for her new case."

"What do you need to access?"

"Harry Potter's guardianship files."

Ampford's eyes widened at that. He questioned, "Is Harry Potter Mei's latest client?"

"Yes, and no", answered Cho cryptically. "I'm sorry, but I can't be more specific. Now about those files?"

"Ah – yes. Let me see. He walked to a filing cabinet and tapped it with his wand, muttering, "Harry Potter!" . A folder bound in red tape, and marked Confidential' appeared on the reading desk in front. He sighed, "Sorry, Cho. It's confidential and you would need the written permission of Harry Potter's guardians or the Minister to access it."

Cho was stymied. She queried, "Is all of it confidential? Is there no way to get the information?"

"None, I am afraid, Cho"

"Okay, Mr. Corfin. What is the standard procedure for adoption?"

"Well, you see, when we get applications, we investigate the potential guardians for suitability – financial resources, ties to the child and compatibility with the child in question. Once those are completed, and the potential guardian found suitable, the child is placed in the care of the guardian."

"What if there are many applicants?"

"In that case, there is a hearing before a judge who will determine who is the best guardian of the ones who are qualified."

"And the applications for Harry's guardianship – if any exist apart from those muggles he lives with – would be in those files?"

Ampford nodded. "Exactly what information do you need, Cho?"

"A list of applicants who filed for the guardianship of Harry Potter. The reason why he was placed with those muggles."

Ampford frowned thoughtfully, "There's no way of finding the reasons why he was placed with the muggles short of reading the files. However, there may be one thing I can do. There are counterfoils of the acknowledgements of receiving the applications from potential guardians somewhere. Let me see."

He walked round to a colossal filing cabinet which had years marked on various compartments, and tapped the year 1980 with his wand, "Guardianship application acknowledgement, Harry Potter."

Two pieces of parchment popped out. The first one was an acknowledgement of the application filed by Albus Dumbledore, and the second one of the law firm of Tarnissus Surcase. "There you have it, Cho", he smiled. "You can try talking to those people and see if you can get anything out of them."

Scrutinising the dates, Cho saw that the two applications were dated in November and December 1981 respectively. "Try 1982 as well, Mr. Corfin", she spoke, without raising her head.

Ampford Corfin repeated the procedure with the year 1982 and another parchment popped out. This was filed by the law-wizard, Wilford Smethyck, in February of 1982.

Ampford spoke, "These, as you may have understood, are merely acknowledgements of the applications filed by the various people and law firms. If you want to know on whose behalf they were acting, you will have to speak to them directly. I'm sure you will find their addresses in a list of law firms."

Cho dutifully copied down those names, and spoke, "Thank you, Mr. Corfin. Mum'll be very grateful for your help."

The wizard smiled, "You're welcome, Cho. Give Mei my regards. And good luck."

---(Scene Break)---

Two regal women sat sipping coffee in a dimly lit, Arabian nights drawing room, illumined by two small lamps. A silver salver and a kettle of coffee, along with a small a jar of milk and a bowl of sugar lumps was set on the heavy oaken table. The first woman was dark haired and tall – though her emaciated look and haunted, deadened eyes gave her a beauty that was almost painful to look at. And the second woman, tall, queenly and blond, had a most panic-stricken and woebegone expression on her face as she moaned, with tears streaming down her face, "Bella, you've got to help! You must!"

Bellatrix's eyebrows rose at that. "How do you propose I do that?"

"You are the Dark Lord's most trusted now. You could talk to him .."

Bellatrix laughed, a cold, harsh laugh. "Are you insane, Cissy? He trusts no one now; definitely not me. And anything you have to offer should be given freely to the Dark Lord. You can't bargain with him, much less bribe him."

Narcissa dropped her cup, which fell on the soft carpet staining the pristine blue wool a deep brown. Taking no notice of the mess on the floor, Narcissa knelt before her sister, embracing Bellatrix's knees, she whispered "Please, Bella, help my son. I'll do anything .."

Bellatrix had always been accused – quite fairly, it must be admitted – of being cold-hearted, cynical and ruthless, but she was not completely immune to the suffering of her sister. She set down her cup on the table, and looked sadly at the tear-streaked face of Narcissa. Gently she helped up her sister to her feet, and half carried, and half dragged Lady Malfoy to the sofa. "Sit down, Cissy", she commanded. "Now calm yourself, and tell me what you would have me do."

"I don't know. I just want Draco safe."

"Does he want to be safe, Cissy? He thinks he can do it."

"He is too young! He has no idea what he is getting into!"

Bella nodded sorrowfully. That was true indeed. Draco had no idea how powerful that abominable old coot was. Without conceit, Bellatrix knew that she was not a woman lacking in courage, but she would not willingly face that old man if she could help it.

She spoke slowly, "Cissy, are you willing to take any risk to get Draco out of this mess?"

"Yes! Anything! Please, Bella .."

Bellatrix put her hands on her sister's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Cissy, listen to me first – there is no easy way out of this situation. The Dark Lord will have Draco watched at all times now. This is his vengeance for Lucius' folly in the Ministry, and he expects – no, wants – Draco to be killed."

Narcissa gave a dismal groan, but Bellatrix continued, "But we have one thing on our side, for the moment. Time. No one expects Draco to do anything until Hogwarts reopens. We can use this to our advantage."

For the first time, there was the faintest hope in Narcissa's eyes as her sister persisted speaking, "We can expect no help from anyone on the side of the Dark Lord. They are all too frightened of him to aid us in any way. The only place to get help may be on the other side."

"You are suggesting that we go over to the Ministry or Dumbledore?", asked Narcissa incredulously. "They would never help us!"

"True", Bellatrix nodded. "The Ministry will just toss Draco in Azkaban – he has no way to make a deal, and with the Dark Mark, it would be enough to damn him now. Lucius' enemies in the Ministry will see to it. And going to the old man would just be trading the Dark Lord for Dumbledore. He'll put Draco under his thumb and probably force him to become his spy in the Dark Lord's ranks. There is no hope for Draco there."

"Then where ...?"

"I've an idea. Leave it to me. I'll let you know whether my plan will work in a few days. If not, we'll have to start all over again."

Bellatrix turned away from her sister, and murmured to herself, almost enviously, "How young you are, Cissy! You can still weep!"

---(Scene Break)---

Hermione Granger sat quietly in the Morning Lily, waiting for her guest to arrive. She was pondering over the events of the last few days. Once she heard the details of the attack on her parents and their miraculous escape, she had no doubts at all that Voldemort would likely try again. As such, she was almost relieved that her parents were leaving on a vacation the next day. Her parents had tried to insist that she come over with them, but Hermione had been adamant. Her place was beside Harry and she could not abandon him. She had told them that she could not leave and they had reluctantly accepted her suggestion – no, her insistence – that they travel for the next two months, while leaving her alone at home. She had arrived in Diagon Alley earlier, done some shopping she needed to do, and talked to Fleur Delacour at lunch in the Leaky Cauldron. The part Veela, now working at Gringotts, had agreed to keep an eye out for any Dark activity and inform her if anything arose. She had also agreed to keep her mouth shut about her mission. With all that accomplished, Hermione was at the muggle public house for the last job of the day – a distasteful one, but one nevertheless important. She had had a long chat with Harry, convincing him of the supreme importance of having his own proper sources, and he had reluctantly agreed to her proposal. So Hermione was here for her task.

A few minutes later, a blond, middle aged woman in dark grey muggle clothing appeared at the door. Seeing the muggleborn witch in a quiet corner, she hurried across, sitting down at the table, "Hello, Little Miss Perfect! What do you want now?" Rita's semblance of a smile was much worse than the snarl of most people, but Hermione ignored the other's frightening smile, Instead, she regarded the older witch coolly, remarking, "It is not what I want, but what I can do for you. I am here to offer you a deal."

"Oh! What is your munificent proposal?"

"First off, how would you like to have an exclusive interview with Harry Potter about the Ministry events of a couple of weeks ago?"

Rita gaped. There had been talk that Potter had led a group of school kids to battle Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries. There had been a rumour that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had been there and had fought Potter and Dumbledore. Her Ministry contacts had been most reticent about the events. Now here was one of the principal participants offering her a chance at an exclusive interview. But Rita knew the value of dissimulation and simply put up a cool facade, "Interesting. I suppose someone will publish an interview with Potter now. He is back in some favour, after all"

"Of course", Hermione purred. "We both know that it is about the image, rather than the truth, isn't it, Rita? So – now that Harry is the Boy-Who-Lived again, an interview with him is going to sell."

"I can make him look good, I suppose."

"Of course, but nearly anyone could and would do that. We don't need you for that."

"So what do you want, little girl?"

Hermione's smile was predatory. "How would you like routine exclusive interviews with Harry every – say – three months? Now that people know he was telling the truth, you should be able to spin the news in any direction you want. "

Rita was dumbfounded. "Why would he do that?"

"Well, it is not out of love for you. He has a use for you." Hermione reached into the pocket of her jeans and drew a small bottle. "But first, Rita – do you know what this is?"

At Rita's uncomprehending gaze, Hermione explained, "This is a truth potion – a simple one which will not force you to answer questions you do not want to answer, but will not let you lie. We need to determine some things before we proceed."

Rita stared. "What do you want to know, girl?"

Hermione produced a list of questions she proposed to ask. Most of them concerned her loyalties – specifically determining whether she, Rita, was a Death Eater in sympathies and if she was loyal to Voldemort. Rita scanned the questions, and nodded. "Alright, I'll do it."

Fifteen minutes later, Hermione had determined that Rita had no sympathies for Voldemort, was herself a half-blood, and did not share the pureblood agenda. Finished with the questioning, Hermione administered the antidote and spoke, "Good. Now, Rita, I am sure that you at the Daily Prophet hear all kinds of information about Voldemort's supporters that you don't print. Well, Harry wants you to let us know if something important – something you think is important – comes up. In return, you will have the interviews."

Rita considered the deal for a moment. Many little titbits of news came to her from her sources – sources which she had painstakingly built up over the years and here was this wretched boy asking her to share information she got. On the other hand, interviews with Harry Potter were rare as Holbeins and anyone able to publish them would be able to make her way up the corporate hierarchy very fast. Also the boy was not forcing her to give all the information she got – only what she thought was important. She could use it to her advantage. Swapping a few bits of news with the Boy-Who-Lived would not be a bad idea. Hermione noticed the struggle, and added, "If you perform well, he might even let you write his authorised biography at the end of the war. Assuming that he and you survive the war, of course."

Rita ground out, "And if I refuse?"

"Forget you ever saw me today. We have better things to do than fight you or the _Daily Prophet_."

Rita sighed, "Okay, I'll do it. How do I go about contacting you?"

Hermione smiled and handed her the enchanted notebook and explained its use. "Harry will expect you to contact him for the interview in the next few days." She then produced a small parchment from her pocket. "Let us agree formally", she purred. The document the muggleborn witch produced merely stated the conditions they had agreed to. Rita performed a few spells on the parchment to ensure that there were no hidden clauses." She signed, as did Hermione. With that, Rita rose and exited into muggle London. Hermione watched as the older woman disappeared into muggle London – her expression was that of a hungry crocodile that has just spotted lunch after a week. Briskly, she turned and walked in the direction of Victoria Station.

(Author's note: Thanks to Jane Average for catching the mistake about the dates. It was originally 1980 and 1981 respectively, in place of 1981 and 1982 as it should have been (and the change has been made). Thanks, Jane. Chocolate cookie for you.)


	12. Of Escapes

**Black Vengeance – 11**

**Of Escapes**

(Author's note: Sorry for the long delay in updating the story. I was busy with my PhD thesis proposal and defending it. I am back to writing the story in earnest again.

This chapter has my version of Harry's escape from Privet Drive. It strikes me as a bit cliché that he simply walks/flies away, talks his relatives into helping, hides in uncle's car, or gets a portkey from someone without the Order knowing. I think that Dumbledore would have provided for all these contingencies – the old coot is a clever manipulator. Hopefully, this escape will have some novelty. I have assumed that potions affect Muggles as well. Hey, if spells can affect muggles, I see no reason potions should not!)

--- (Beginning of the Chapter) ---

The night before Aunt Marge's arrival, Harry sat up late in his room, making all the preparations he needed. His work complete, he walked to his table, and scribbled a couple of lines, which read,

_Hi Ron,_

_How are you? I am back with the Muggles and while they still don't like me, the warning your Dad and the others gave them has been very useful. They are treating me okay. However, my uncle seems furious with Hedwig, so I am sending her to you. Just care for her for the next few weeks, will you? We'll meet as soon as possible, until then, I will keep my head down, and bear my 'loving relatives'._

_Thank your dad for the warning to my uncle. Say hello to Fred, George, and Ginny for me._

_Harry._

Finishing his letter, he looked up Hedwig, "Hello, old girl! Had a nice night of hunting?"

The big, snowy owl looked at him with her amber eyes, and hooted softly. Harry gently ruffled her feathers and spoke, "Take this note to Ron, and stay with him till next weekend."

The owl's eyes held reproach, and Harry sighed, "Hedwig, don't look at me like that. A lot is going to happen in the next few days, and I want you safe."

The owl hooted again, and when Harry had finished fastening the note to her leg, she flew out into the sleeping countryside.

Harry watched Hedwig as long as he could see her and once she had disappeared from view, opened his trunk and brought out half a dozen vials. His lips curled into a cold smile, and he muttered, "Let the games begin!"

---(Scene Break)---

Monday dawned clear and bright and the birds chirping outside Harry's window reflected the summer spirit. The golden rays of the sun beat down upon his room, awakening Harry from his slumber. The sunlight made him squint and shield his eyes. He rose, stretched his limbs, brushed his teeth and went down to breakfast.

The breakfast was a quiet affair, and what with Dudley's diet still the order of the day, Harry ended up getting a small piece of grapefruit and a few carrots for his breakfast. Dudley was mad with the diet regime, but for once in her life, Petunia had been stubborn enough to make Dudley adhere to the rabbit food' meals, as Vernon called them. Finally, the breakfast was over and Vernon spoke, "Marge is getting here in less than an hour. Is everything ready, Petunia?"

Petunia nodded, and Vernon added to Harry, "You, boy, will be in your room and will not come out unless you are called. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded, his eyes on the ground, as Uncle Vernon continued, glaring suspiciously at Harry, "No funny business while Marge is here, or there will be trouble."

Harry nodded again as Vernon turned to Dudley and queried, "Dudders, want to come along for the ride?" Dudley shook his head in refusal, and Vernon went to prepare himself to get Marjorie Dursley.

Returning upstairs to his room, Dudley was aghast to see Harry calmly eating a piece of white chocolate in the corridor. "You .. you!!", Dudley's outrage precluded coherent speech. Harry seemed terrified, his attitude that of a kid caught with his hand in a cookie jar, as he hissed, "Quiet!"

Dudley finally found his tongue, "Got your freak friends to send you this, did you?! Or did you pick dad's pocket to buy it? Mum'll kick you out for this!"

Harry seemed to waver between fear and annoyance, and finally the former won out, "Shut up, Dudley! Yes, my friends sent me this. You can have some if you keep your mouth shut."

Dudley seemed torn at this. On one hand, seeing Harry bullied by his parents was an excellent form of entertainment. On the other, the chocolate was tempting and to squeal on Harry would be to ruin any hope of getting his hands on it. He took a step towards Harry, but he froze as another suspicion struck him, "Is it y-your freak stuff?"

Harry could almost read Dudley's mind. In response, he broke off a piece of the chocolate he was eating and held it out to Dudley. "Look, I am eating the same thing. It won't hurt you, I promise."

Greed conquered suspicion, and Dudley took the piece Harry had held out, and popped it into his mouth.

---(Scene Break)---

A few minutes later, Dudley emerged downstairs just as Vernon was getting into his car. "Dad, d'you think Aunt Marge'll be more pleased if I come with you to welcome her?"

"Marge'll be happy to see you, no matter what, Dudders."

Dudley scratched his head, "Maybe I'll get a better present if I meet her first."

Vernon laughed at that. "Want your money's worth, do you? Very well, come along."

Dudley hopped into the car, and they drove towards the station. As Dudley watched Privet Drive disappear, he felt something was going right at last.

---(Scene Break)---

It was late in the afternoon, when floo in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office flared into life. "Albus, we have a problem!", came Hestia Jones's panicked voice.

Dumbledore's eyebrows went up at that. "What is it, Hestia?", he queried calmly.

"Harry's missing!"

"What?! How did this happen?"

"We're not sure, Dumbledore. Apparently, today morning, Harry's aunt arrived. Vernon and Dudley went down to the rail station to meet her. However, at the railway station, Dudley disappeared. Vernon and his sister waited for sometime at the station for him to turn up, and then searched everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, they returned home and Petunia went to Harry's room to check if he had seen Dudley. Dudley was found asleep there. He seems to be under the influence of some sleeping potion. Harry, however, is missing."

"How did you find out?"

"Seeing the commotion in the Dursley household, I _disillusioned_ myself and went in to investigate. I saw the muggle boy asleep in Harry's room, but Harry himself is nowhere to be found."

"What do the Dursleys say?"

"They saw Harry at breakfast and apparently, he went to his room after that. They have not seen him since."

"What about his room?"

"Nothing seems to be moved, and there are certainly no signs of a struggle."

Dumbledore stood up quickly and spoke, "I am coming there. Does anyone else know?"

"No, Albus. I contacted you first, as soon as I could find no sign of Harry."

"Good. I will join you in a few minutes with Severus. Call Alastor – he should be at home today."

---(Scene Break)---

It was late in the evening when many members of the Order of the Phoenix were gathered in Hogwarts for an emergency meeting. Minerva, Severus, Arthur, and Bill were there, as were Nymphadora, Remus, and Mad-Eye Moody. Surveying the gathering, Dumbledore muttered to himself, "Good thing Molly is not here. She would have raised Cain over this." Minerva cleared her throat, "Have you discovered anything, Albus?"

Dumbledore appeared deep in thought as he replied, "A few things have indeed come to light, Minerva. For one thing, we can be almost certain that Harry left his relatives' home of his own volition. He was not kidnapped."

"How can you be so sure?"

"His clothes and books are still in his old room and there is no sign of any violence. However, his wand and invisibility cloak are gone."

"But how .."

"From interrogating Harry's cousin, I was able to glean that, after breakfast, he went upstairs and saw Harry eating a cream chocolate. As Dudley is still on diet, he was outraged that Harry was eating what was impermissible to him. Harry offered him a bit of the chocolate if he kept his mouth shut. Apparently, Dudley agreed and accepted the bribe. He remembers eating it and then nothing until he woke up in Harry's room."

Dumbledore's lips thinned as he continued, "Examining Dudley, we found that his hair had been cropped in one place."

"But why would Harry – or anyone else - need Dudley's hair?", queried Hestia.

Snape took up the story at that point. "_Polyjuice_ potion", he spat. "In a dustbin in Potter's room, we found a vial which had once contained _polyjuice_ potion. Judging from the quality of the potion, I should almost certainly say it was from my own stores."

There was a shocked silence, as Snape continued, "There was still a bit of the chocolate left on Potter's desk. Examining it, I was able to see that it was spiked with a simple sleeping draught."

"But if Harry ate the same chocolate ...", began Arthur Weasley.

"Potter drank the antidote to the sleeping potion before eating the drugged chocolate. We found a phial of the antidote among Potter's effects."

Alastor Moody cut in at this point, "Even if he disguised himself with _polyjuice, _the tracking charm on him should have triggered the alarms when he left the wards."

Professor McGonagall interrupted, "What tracking charms?"

"For Harry's safety, Minerva, we put a tracking charm on him. Especially after last year's incident with the Dementors, it is imperative that he remain within the wards in Privet Drive. So we altered the wards to alert us if he left the place, of his own will or otherwise."

"So how did he get past them, then?"

"_Magic suppression _potion!", spat Snape disgustedly. "We found its container in the same dustbin. This he apparently filched from Poppy's stores. Poppy keeps a small supply of the potion in case someone's magical core is damaged or becomes unstable. She has reported her stocks missing."

"You see", explained Dumbledore, "all tracking charms attune to the magical core of the object being tracked and track the signature everywhere. The _magic suppression _potion would suppress the magical core and prevent if from being accessed by anyone."

"But that means ..", began Bill in a horrified voice.

"Exactly", returned Dumbledore, answering the uncompleted question. "Harry cannot perform magic as long as he is under the influence of the potion."

"How long would the potion last?"

"About four and twenty hours."

"Okay", growled Moody. "So he left his relatives' home disguised as his cousin, tricked the wards and got to the railway station. Where would he go?"

"I talked to Ron and Ginny", spoke up Arthur. "They have heard nothing from Harry, except for a letter which suggests that he intended to stay with his relatives. He simply asked them to take care of Hedwig until the next meeting."

"What about the Know-It-All Granger girl?", sneered Snape.

"The Granger home is deserted. Inquiries at her parents' dental practice suggests that they have gone on a vacation. That is what their colleague asserted", answered Kingsley.

"I have been making inquiries at the railway station where Harry went missing", began Tonks, with a discreet cough. "The clerk at the counter knows Dudley by sight, and she swears she never saw him today. However, the railway station is a not a large one, and most of the local people are known to each other. So I persuaded her to recall if anyone she did not know had bought tickets around the time of Harry's disappearance. She remembers that a **bushy haired teenage girl **she had never seen before purchased **two** tickets to Victoria station."

McGonagall's mouth fell open, "Hermione helped Harry to escape? They are in London then?"

"They could be anywhere, Minerva, if indeed it is Ms. Granger who purchased the tickets", sighed Dumbledore.

"What about Diagon Alley?", asked Arthur.

Moody sighed, "We checked there. He hasn't been seen there."

Snape cut in, "He needs money – he would go first to Gringotts."

"Well ...", began Bill hesitantly.

"What is it? Come on, it doesn't matter if it is a false lead", encouraged Dumbledore.

"Harry's account has had no transactions since last summer. But I discovered one thing. I don't know if this has anything to do with Harry ...; anyway, here it is. Mrs. Chang and her assistant had come to meet Sniplock, the Black family account manager. I don't know what transpired between them, but the public reading of Sirius' will is scheduled for the 24th of this month."

Dumbledore looked old and tired, "Try to check what happened between them, Bill. We will need to be on the guard against any surprises."

He turned to Moody, "Remove all our records from Grimmauld Place. If the house is inherited by either Bellatrix or Narcissa ...", his voice trailed away.

"Arthur, keep a close watch – he may turn up at the Ministry if he wants anything. I will keep an eye on the tracking charm and see if he can be found. Minerva, check at the Grangers' and see if anything can be found. Severus, make discreet enquiries if any of Tom's supporters know anything about Harry. Nymphadora, Alastor, make another thorough search of both the Diagon and Knockturn alleys. Remus – discreetly make inquiries with Harry's other Gryffindor classmates. We will meet tomorrow."


	13. Of Law Wizards and Funerals

**Black Vengeance - 12**

**Of Law Wizards and Funerals**

(Author's Note: I have seen plenty of stories where people assume that Dumbledore simply put Harry with the Dursleys. Nowhere have I seen a reason why it was allowed apart from that 'Dumbledore managed to prevent the execution of the Potters' will.' Given the extreme prejudice in the wizarding world against non-magical humans, I think that it is most unlikely Dumbledore would have been allowed to put Harry with the muggles if there were an alternative in the wizarding world. Consequently, I will be taking a very different approach as to how Harry was placed with the Dursleys.

One assumption I have made is that Cho is of age and can apparate – she has finished her sixth year, and as Harry and Hermione could apparate at the end of their sixth year, I guess she would be capable of the same.

As usual, all criticism is welcome.)

---(Beginning of the Chapter)---

Harry Potter and Mei Chang, having finished their business with Sniplock in Gringotts, walked out into the Diagon Alley to meet with Cho and Hermione, who were completing their shopping. Harry, who had assumed the appearance of Mrs. Chang's assistant, smiled at Hermione, who had taken the appearance of Cho's grandmother. "Your idea of using _polyjuice _potion to move around without being recognised is great, Hermione. For once, no one gawked at me." Hermione smiled back, and spoke, "Did you try the ring, Harry?" Harry nodded, "It accepts me. Sirius knew what he was doing." Both girls squealed with delight and congratulated Harry on his success, and finally Cho asked, "Okay, now what?"

Mei Chang answered, "We must leave Diagon Alley now, and wait for the polyjuice potion to wear off. Then we shall go and meet Tarnissus and Wilford – their offices are here in London. I have scheduled appointments with both of them, but to inspire confidence, Harry will have to be in his real form."

---(Scene Break)---

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Cho Chang and Mei Chang were seated in a large office, in front of a large and elegantly polished mahogany desk. Tarnissus Surcase was an slender, elderly law-wizard, with grey hair and eyebrows. After being sworn into confidentiality, he had listened to the question of Mrs. Chang whether he had submitted the application for the adoption of Harry Potter, and smiled, "Certainly, Mrs. Chang. Indeed, I submitted the application for the adoption. But what is the interest now? It is over twelve years since I handled it."

"Well, you see, you may have heard of the demise of Mr. Sirius Black. With his passing, he has included a provision relating to the emancipation of young Mr. Potter here. However, considering that his present guardians are muggles, we wondered how it was that they gained custody passing over the various wizarding families that seemed to have greater claim."

Tarnissus Surcase nodded, "Normally, I take client confidentiality seriously and would refuse to answer your questions. But considering that the principal is dead, and the answers concern a living person whose interests are at stake, we may take a more liberal view. In reply to the question, I may state that I was representing the interests of Lady Walburga Black."

"Sirius's mother! Why on earth would she want a half-blood like me?", burst out Harry surprise stamped on his features.

"Indeed, in the normal course of events, you would not be welcome in the Black home, where they took the purity of blood rather seriously. However, in this event, your celebrity status overrode any concerns they may have had."

Mei Chang's eyebrows rose at that, "Would you care to elaborate, Mr. Surcase?"

The elderly law-wizard hesitated a moment, and then began in a carefully neutral and scrupulously balanced voice, "Well, I should put on record that this is just my opinion." Seeing Mei's understanding gesture, he continued, "At the end of the last war, the Blacks were in a very bad state. Not financially, you understand, but politically. Their reputation was in the mud. With the death and disgrace of the favourite son of Lord Orion and Lady Walburga, Regulus Black – he was a Death Eater, as you may know - the political position of the Blacks took a very serious beating. Old Barty Crouch was hounding out all supporters of the Dark Lord from the Wizangamot, and he was moving to get the Blacks proscribed from the High Council. Later on, with the death of Lord Orion Black in the year before the fall of the Dark Lord, it had become painfully clear that the Black line would have to be headed by Sirius Black, who was not in any great favour with Lady Walburga. So, it was either lose power in the Wizengamot and the High Council, or leave it to Sirius, who, Lady Walburga feared, would use his position to support Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix. As such, she herself ordered delaying the formal accession of Sirius Black to the headship of the Black family, using every technicality that could be found while fighting Crouch's efforts to disenfranchise the Blacks. Then came the fall of the Dark Lord, and the arrest of Sirius Black – I take it you know the story?" When his audience assented, he continued, "This was a golden opportunity for Lady Walburga. She knew that her son was the godfather of Mr. Potter here, and that if she got custody of Mr. Potter, it would not only be a tremendous boost to the sagging prestige of the Black family, but she would also gain at least temporary hold over the Potter family influence. Thus, she could rebuild the Black family position."

"The old hag wanted me as a trophy! I was nothing more than a pawn on her political chessboard!", snarled Harry.

Tarnissus looked at Harry for a long moment, and then smiled, "It is quite likely, Mr. Potter. But one thing I can assure you – you would have been better prepared to shoulder the burden of being the head of two families had you lived with the Blacks."

"So why did she not get custody of Harry", queried Cho.

"That is an altogether different story. Lady Walburga was elderly and infirm at the time. She had long suffered from ill-health, so she was not all that active physically. The entire guardianship business and lobbying in the Wizengamot was being handled on her behalf by her niece, Lady Bellatrix Lestrange."

The mention of Bellatrix had had a terrible effect on Harry, who had nearly jumped to his feet. He fell back in his chair, however, his hands clenched, his lips drawn back in a snarl. Hermione laid her hand on his sleeve, gently reassuring him, while Tarnissus Surcase looked in astonishment at the boy's reaction.

"But do continue, Mr. Surcase", cut in Cho. "What happened?"

"I suppose Bella got herself chucked in Azkaban, and that sank the old hag's hopes", muttered Harry.

Tarnissus looked very seriously at Harry as he continued, "Quite true, Mr. Potter. The sentencing of Lady Bellatrix and her husband had a terrible effect, not only on the political prospects of the Black family, but also on the health of Lady Walburga. With her husband and favourite son dead, and her other son and niece incarcerated in Azkaban, Lady Walburga lost her grip on sanity."

Harry's mouth fell open in horror at the pronouncement, as the law-wizard continued, "Lady Walburga became a broken woman, who spent her last years aimlessly rambling in the Black Manor, shrieking insults about muggles and those of impure blood." He shook his head gloomily, "Death, when it came to her a few years later, was a mercy."

There was a long, shocked silence as the older man finished his account. Then Mei Chang asked, "Were there any other claimants for the custody of Mr. Potter? Apart from those muggles, I mean?"

"Not as far as I know. But all this occurred much before any legal summons to the muggles could be issued. Dumbledore had acted and put Mr. Potter in the care of those muggles. We were the challengers. It usually takes a couple of months or so before the investigations into the resources and compatibility of any would be guardian are completed and the clearance obtained. As Lady Walburga lost her sanity, there was no point contesting the placement of Mr. Potter. No one would even have considered our case."

"Well, we found another person who had filed an application for the custody of Mr. Potter. One represented by Mr. Wilford Smethyck." She looked up questioningly at Surcase. The older man shook his head, "It may have been filed, but it certainly never came to the level of having a contest in the High Council. I would have known had it occurred."

Thanking Tarnissus Surcase for his help, the group departed.

---(Scene Break)---

A few minutes, Harry and the three witches were ushered into the office of Wilford Smethyck. Wilford Smethyck was a much younger man, with deep brown hair and a pleasant smile. He knew Mei Chang by reputation, and on learning of her latest client and the interest in Harry Potter's guardianship, he was quite open and affable. "Of course, I remember filing those papers. I was acting on behalf of Frank Longbottom and his wife, Lady Alice. Lady Alice is Mr. Potter's godmother, you know."

"We noticed that your application, dated February 1982, was much later than the other two – which were filed in November and December 1981 respectively. Why the delay?", queried Mei Chang.

"The Longbottoms were in hiding, you know. I never knew where they were hiding, or what the danger that threatened them, but for some months, they had been completely out of public life. They returned only a few days before the application was filed."

"Was ... anyone upset with their seeking my custody?", inquired Harry.

"Well, given that they hinted to me that they heartily disagreed with Dumbledore's choice – putting you with those muggles, I believe – I would imagine that he did not concur with the course of action Frank and Alice were contemplating. However, I do not know if they ever had a positive quarrel over the issue."

"So why was Harry still left with the muggles?", questioned Hermione.

"The attack on the Longbottoms, of course. It left Frank and Alice permanently disabled. After the attack, I was visited by Frank Longbottom's mother, Lady Augusta, who ordered me to drop the contest, saying that it was imperative that Mr. Potter stay with his relatives for his own protection. I dropped the challenge then."

The law-wizard could not add anything further to the knowledge of his interviewers. They thanked him and left. Once out of the office, Cho and her mother bade Harry and Hermione goodbye and apparated away, leaving the two Gryffindors with a few hours to kill before they met up with Nott and his allies.

Harry and Hermione had a late lunch in a muggle restaurant and decided to wait in a park until it was time to meet Nott. They were both seated on a bench, and Harry had been strangely quiet since the information he got from the law-wizards – he seemed sad and preoccupied.

Hermione spoke gently, "Is there anything bothering you Harry?"

"No .. yes", he answered vaguely.

"I am sorry, Harry, but your answer eludes me", there was a slight quirky smile on her lips.

Harry looked sombre, "Sirius's mum. What we learnt was rather horrifying, wasn't it?"

Hermione nodded as Harry continued, "And look at Neville's parents. The Blacks and Longbottoms were trying to gain custody of me, and both get conveniently eliminated in one stroke? Was it coincidence, Hermione?"

"What are you saying, Harry?"

"I am not sure what to suspect, except that I am cursed. Anyone who gets close to me gets killed."

"Stop it, Harry James Potter!"

"But you could get hurt, or killed. Everyone .."

Hermione had pulled Harry into a fierce hug. "I am not leaving you, Harry and you had better get it into your thick skull."

"I am poison, Hermione. You should look out for yourself, except I am selfish .."

"There are some poisons I could get to like, Harry. And I am being selfish as well."

The implications of Hermione's statement struck home as Harry looked up with hopeful eyes, "Hermi..", he began – what else he would have said was cut off, as Hermione kissed him.

---(Scene Break)---

The church bells tolled solemnly and mournfully as the coffins were placed near the altar. The officiating priest was gravely extolling the dead, preaching a sermon of some sort, but all of this flew over Susan's head, as she sat quietly, tears trickling down her cheeks. Katie Bell sat next to her, an arm around the Hufflepuff girl's shoulder, as her body shook with silently repressed sobs. A whole horde of Ministry officials, including the highest and the mightiest in the land were present, and many were making grand speeches, praising the virtues of the deceased. All of it served only to increase the bitterness Susan felt for the hypocrisy – all of them greatly romanticised her aunt, mentioned her parents in passing and completely ignored Katie's sister. 'Funny', she thought cynically, 'they never recognised her virtues when she was alive.' Only decorum of decency prevented her from marching towards the pulpit and slapping Fudge and his cronies. Finally, the service was over and people began to file out of the church quietly. At length, the church was all but empty, and Susan and Katie too rose from their seat when they heard a quiet voice, "A moment if you please, Ms. Bones."

Turning round, they saw the tall, saturnine figure of Gawain Robards walking towards them, "Pray permit me to offer my condolences Ms. Bones, not only for your aunt who was amongst the greatest witches I have known, but also for your parents, who were the noblest in the land. They embodied the ideals of Hufflepuff, Ms. Bones."

"Thank you, Mr. Robards", returned Susan tonelessly.

"But I wanted to speak about a more practical matter, Ms. Bones. I remember your request to check if there were any requests for additional protection for your parents and aunt. Having checked the records, I found that there were no specific threats listed or requests made. However, there was a note that spoke of a possible threat of uncertain seriousness'. With the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, such vague threats are not sufficient to warrant additional protection, Ms. Bones. So there was no additional protection."

Susan nodded, as Robards continued, "Is there anything bothering you, Susan?"

Susan had been too well trained by Mme. Bones to give away her suspicions to anyone. So she simply queried, "Who made that note, Mr. Robards?"

"It was Auror David Greenberry. He got a warning from Prof. Dumbledore. From interviewing him, I think he got the impression that the threat was not serious nor imminent – it was merely that Dumbledore was reporting a hearsay, rather than an identifiable problem."

"Thank you, Mr. Robards", replied Susan.

"If there is anything else, Ms. Bones, I will be glad to help."

"No, Mr. Robards. There is nothing else for the moment."

"Very well, in that case, I will wish you luck."

Katie and Susan exchanged a look as the man left. They two girls had made a search of Eileen's effects and ascertained for themselves that Susan's warning letter had never reached Amelia Bones. It was Katie who broke the silence, "Well, that is interesting, isn't it? Your letter does not even reach your aunt, while the warning from Prof. Dumbledore gets passed off as a mere rumour'. Do you know this Greenberry?"

"I know him very well", replied Susan Bones. "He was one of the few who were hand-picked by my auntie and trained. He was very loyal to her. I think we had best have a talk with him."

---(Scene Break)---

Greenberry drew a cigarette from a packet and lit it with nervous, shaking fingers – the cigarettes helped his nerves. He wished that he had a bottle of firewhisky, except that drinking on the job was likely to get him fired. Already, he had an adverse remark filed against him for ignoring the threat to Amelia Bones and he had been degraded to being a paper pusher in the headquarters. He shook his head – how could he have known? If he acted on all rumours, he would be chasing wild geese day-in and day-out. Sighing, he picked up the next file, when an owl flew in,

_Dear Mr. Greenberry,_

_My friend Katie Bell, and myself wished to speak to you on a matter of importance. If you would be free sometime, we would be glad to meet you. Please let us know as soon as possible._

_With regards,_

_Susan Bones._

Greenberry sighed – he remembered Susan Bones, Amelia's niece, when the Director had brought the girl to the office a couple of times. If he could help her, he would be glad. He wrote back

_Dear Ms. Bones,_

_We can meet at lunch in the Ministry Cafeteria today if you can come over._

_Sincerely,_

_David Greenberry._


	14. Of Healers, Traitors and New Allies

**Black Vengeance – 13 **

**Of Healers, Traitors and New Allies**

(Author's Note: Thanks to one of the reviewers pointing out to me that the timeline of events is unclear. I would like to emphasise that the events of four chapters (Black Vengeance 11-13 (or 12-14, if you include the prologue)) are contemporaneous in that they are all events that occur on the same day. The actual times of the occurrence of said events can be deduced from the mention of the time of the day in the story. If there is anything unclear, I hope my readers will remark it.

As usual, all criticism is welcome.)

---(Beginning of the Chapter)---

It is strange how much half an hour can change a person. Emmeline Vance, not half an hour ago was a Healer with few worries other than finishing the Ministry ordered verification of the stocks, and routine examinations of her patients. She had vague feeling that she had forgotten to do something – something important, but for the life of her, she could not remember what it was. Struggling over it uselessly was not Emmeline's nature, so she turned her attention to other matters. An attendant of St. Mungo's interrupted her work, "The results of tests you ordered, Healer Vance".

"Thank you, Rosythe. Please put them on the table. I will take a look at them soon."

The attendant did as she was bidden, and retreated from the room. Emmeline rose from her task, picked up the file on Frank Longbottom, and began thumbing through the results. After a mass of identification and other inconsequential details which she skimmed, she came to the actual injuries. The very first sentence sent a twinge of uneasiness through her, for it read _'Untreated minor haemorrhaging in the brain due to external trauma'_

Emmeline's mouth fell open. Untreated! What the hell was Miriam doing? She angrily shook herself out of her contemplation, forcing herself to read further. There was a mass of medical detail about the actual haemorrhage, but as she continued, her next shock came at the beginning of the next paragraph. _'Long term exposure to confundus magic – spells or potions.'_

Emmeline frowned – this was becoming worse. _Confundus _ charms and potions were heavily regulated by the Ministry, used only in very special cases against violent or suicidal patients, whose behaviour could lead to injury or destruction. Long term usage against a patient was liable to be punished by at least loss of licence to practice. Was Miriam in her sense or senses? But it was the next diagnosis which made her question her own eyes and sanity _'Acute and massive loss of memory due to an attempted alteration of memory.'_

_Memory _charm! But who would want to use a _memory _charm on Frank Longbottom? Did the Lestranges attempt to wipe the Longbottoms' memory of the crime? But, as Vance recalled, the Lestranges were attempting to find information regarding He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. _Memory _charms were extremely tricky spells – very few people could perform them accurately, and in any case, it was almost impossible to remove memories of deeply imprinted events like torture sessions without damaging other memories. Bellatrix Lestrange was a very accomplished Dark witch – she would have known of this. It was most unusual that she would have countenanced usage of a memory damaging spell, when she was trying to extract a particular bit of information. But it was the final paragraph that sent shivers along Emmeline's spine _'Undamaged memories seem functional.'_

"Gracious!", murmured Emmeline. She had, thanks to the methods of the Death Eaters and the Ministry in the previous war, seen plenty of cases of _cruciatus_ induced brain damage. Although she had never heard of anyone losing all memories from exposure to the _cruciatus _curse, it was not out of bounds of possibility that someone should lose their sanity under the terrible pain. But what characterised _cruciatus _and other stress related maladies was the lockdown of the brain, or part of it at least, as a defensive reaction to the pain or other stress. It was not the memories themselves that were damaged, but access to those memories. And yet here was the fateful sentence which emphasised that the existing memories were functional. Her lips set in a grim line, she considered the implications of the report. If the results recorded were accurate, then the damage suffered by Frank Longbottom was not related to the _cruciatus _curse at all. It was related to a _memory_ charm. But why would Miriam lie about it?

Distractedly, she put down the file on Frank Longbottom and picked up the file on Alice Longbottom. The results were similar except that there was no reference to any haemorrhaging or external trauma. It could only mean one thing – the Longbottoms were never tortured into insanity. The implications of it were terrifying. Almost unconsciously, she glanced around the room to see if she was alone. A cold sweat covered her brow.

---(Scene Break)---

Voldemort was surveying the sadly decimated remains of the once proud inner circle of his Death Eaters. It was the first meeting with his entire inner circle since the fiasco at the Department of Mysteries. The circle was a gross exaggeration since there were only six people around the table which should have hosted a dozen. Perhaps the only saving grace was that in his losses, he had not counted any of his commanders. All the three 'captains' of his fighting squadrons were there – Bellatrix Lestrange, Gallienus Yaxley and Antonin Dolohov. At the bottom of the table sat the chief financier, now that Lucius Malfoy was gone. Aloysius Parkinson was a man whose wealth probably rivalled Lucius Malfoy's – which was probably why Lucius had decided that a matrimonial alliance between Pansy and Draco was worthwhile, despite the fact that Parkinsons were lesser purebloods'. On his left, sat Augustus Rookwood. Even fifteen years after his arrest and dismissal, most of his contacts in the Ministry remained intact – he was a source of information which the Dark Lord found invaluable. Completing the group was Severus Snape, supposedly his main spy in the Order of the Phoenix.

The ones missing in this august company included the chief of research, Andronicus Nott – the man, while not a particularly powerful wizard, was a veritable fount of knowledge of arcane arts, both Dark and otherwise. Many of the spells and skills the Dark Lord prized had come from the ingenious brain of the elder Nott. Also missing from the gathering were his chief financier and political face, Lucius Malfoy, Walden MacNair, the man who negotiated with and controlled the giants, and the principal procurer of dark artefacts, Antipatros Jugson. Of course, two others had been missing from the time before his first fall – Evan Rosier and Regulus Black.

For the first time, Voldemort realised how desperately short of skilled manpower he was – If called to battle, he could field barely a score of capable and competent Death Eaters, with another four dozen rookies. True, his squadrons of Dementors, giants, and werewolves were still more or less undamaged, but he really lacked even the manpower to have capable people lead the giants and werewolves. Not for the first time did he curse bitterly Malfoy's stupidity – the idiot had been given the simple task of retrieving a prophecy from a child, but not only had he failed spectacularly, but also ended up getting half a dozen of his better Death Eaters captured. He shrugged, and roused himself from his black reverie, speaking, "Well, Bella, what do you think of our latest recruits?"

Bellatrix shrugged, "It is a little too early to say, my Lord. Young Malfoy and Adrian Pucey have some potential. The others may, in time, become fighters of some use."

Voldemort leant back in his chair, "Has it been discovered what happened to Flint and his team at the mudblood's home?"

It was Snape who answered him, "My Lord, the mudblood's parents were protected by some unknown allies."

Voldemort scowled, fixing Severus with an intense stare "I have heard as much, fool! Has that old coot discovered who they were?"

Severus answered with his head bowed, "No, my Lord. But he has discovered who they were not. The three were not either Aurors, nor from the Order. It does not appear they were from the Ministry either."

Voldemort replied musingly, "I see. That does not leave a whole lot of people. They had to know when Marcus and his idiots would be there. Whoever it was was more than capable of fighting off Marcus' team. While Marcus was not the sharpest, his team should have been able to fend itself against any intervention by riffraff. Are you suggesting that it was some of our own people who have betrayed us, Severus?"

Snape replied evasively, "I would not know, my Lord. But it is possible."

Voldemort considered Snape coldly, before continuing, "What other news have you, Severus?"

"I have managed to discover where an Order member lives, my Lord."

"Who is it? And where?", came the question from Yaxley.

"Emmeline Vance. She is the Order's main contact in St. Mungo's." He gave out the details of the place where Emmeline Vance lived.

"How did you find this information?", questioned Voldemort, suspicious that Dumbledore would have allowed this information to be known to Severus.

"At the Department of Mysteries, many of the Order suffered injuries. Dumbledore did not want the Ministry to know the extent of the injuries suffered by the Order members. So he has had Emmeline Vance treat the injured quietly at her home. I had to deliver a bunch of potions she needed to her place. Thus I found out."

"How dangerous is she, Severus?", queried Dolohov.

"She has only the basic training the Order gave all its members. As far as I know, she has no other formal training."

Voldemort smiled, "Very well done, Severus! You shall be rewarded for this." He looked around, and saw Bella's face shining with eagerness, anticipation and hope. "Would you like to take care of this, Bella?"

"I would be honoured, my Lord", she bowed. Inwardly, she was thinking furiously. Much about this did not make sense. Even if Severus had delivered the potions, he should have been _obliviated_ afterwards to prevent exactly this contingency. The old coot was not exactly lax about security, and this was very uncharacteristic of him. What was the codger up to? She wondered what little plots were going on that she did not know about – well, she would have a chance to find out tonight, if everything went according to her plan, she thought grimly.

"Whom will you take with you?"

"Well, my Lord, my husband for one. He would be the ideal person to handle any wards there. Travers should be a good backup fighter. And a couple of those I am training would be of use as well. This will be a good test for the new blood we are inducting."

"Excellent, Bella. I will meet you tomorrow."

"Does your Lordship wish me to interrogate her?"

"Not really, Bella. See if you can glean anything from her if you can take her alive, but do not endanger anyone on that account. She is not all that important."

"Yes, my Lord", bowed Bellatrix, as she left the room to make preparations for the coming night.

---(Scene Break)---

Auror David Greenberry was waiting for Susan Bones and Katie Bell in the Ministry cafeteria. He smiled at the entrance of the Hufflepuff girl, "Good afternoon, Ms. Bones. I trust you are well?"

Susan sat down and introduced Katie to the auror. Over lunch, they spoke of small and inconsequential matters, with the good auror joining the ranks of those who condoled the death of Mme. Bones. After lunch, they began speaking of more important matters. Susan did not beat about the bush; straightaway, she asked him about the threat classification.

Greenberry nodded, "I am really sorry, Ms. Bones. It never occurred to me from the vagueness of the description that there might be a real threat"

"Vagueness! You were told that You-Know-Who would be attacking Mme. Bones, and you call it vague!", snarled Katie.

"But, but ..", stuttered Greenberry. "I was ..."

"Don't make excuses for your idiocy, Auror! You just never bothered to check the warnings you were given. Was it incompetence or did you want her out of the way as well?", Katie asked rhetorically.

"Now see here", spluttered Greenberry. "I was never told You-Know-Who had targeted Mme. Bones. All I was told of was a hypothetical threat."

Susan, who knew David Greenberry much better than Katie, placed her hand on the impulsive Gryffindor girl's arm, restraining her, "Why don't you tell us what you were told, David?"

David Greenberry rose to his feet, "I will do better than that, Ms. Bones. Come with me. I will show you my memory of what I was told. And I will take a wizard's oath that that was all I knew until the attack on your aunt."

Susan nodded thoughtfully, "Let us go into auntie's old office. I need to pick up her personal effects. You can show us your memory in her pensieve. Less chance of interruption."

Having obtained permission from Gawain Robards to retrieve Mme. Bones's personal effects, the three ventured into the old office of Amelia Bones. Susan grabbed her aunt's pensieve and Greenberry placed his memory in it. Another spell later, the two girls were watching David Greenberry's memory

_David Greenberry was on the duty that day, and was seated in his chair, reading a report._

"_Hello, David", came the cheerful voice of Albus Dumbledore from the fireplace._

_David turned, seeing Dumbledore's face framed in the fire, returned, "Hello, Headmaster. Everything okay?"_

"_Everything is fine, my boy", answered Dumbledore twinkling. "I merely called to check if my students will have to testify at the trial of the Death Eaters captured."_

"_I am not aware of any notices issued to anyone, Professor. We are still making inquiries at the Ministry. We will send the summons in a couple of weeks or so."_

"_Excellent! It is just that Harry Potter is in danger – if you are calling him to the Ministry, I will have to make arrangements so that he can travel safely."_

_David's eyebrows went up at that, "Why is he in such danger, sir?"_

"_Voldemort has always singled him out since fifteen years, David. But then, we are all in danger. There are numerous rumours of people being targeted, now that Voldemort is back."_

"_Who is in danger? Any identifiable targets?"_

"_I keep hearing rumours, but I have nothing definite. According to them, Voldemort is considering the possibility of attacking the Minister himself. Another target is Rufus Scrimgoeur."_

"_But this is just hearsay, sir", protested Greenberry. "If you have any definite information ..."_

"_I have no specific information. My sources say Voldemort has many targets in mind. Tiberius Ogden, Amelia Bones, Griselda Marchbanks, among others. But none of these rumours can be confirmed, nor are they entirely reliable."_

_Greenberry sighed, "Would there be anything else, sir?"_

"_No, David. Have a nice day. Let me know when the summons are issued."_

"_I will, Professor. Good day!"_

The memory blinked out of existence. Susan and Katie exchanged a sharp glance. McGonagall had been informed by Harry about the imminent threat to the Longbottom and the Bones families, yet the warning to the DMLE had been heavily watered down. Susan voiced aloud the question that was on the tips of the tongue of both the girls. "Was that all you heard?"

"That was all, Ms. Bones." He proceeded to swear a wizard's oath to the effect. Both girls thanked David and then left the Ministry.

---(Scene Break)---

Harry and Hermione descended from the train and made their way to the rendezvous they had arranged with Nott and Greengrass. They could probably have got away travelling by floo, but Harry was insistent on religiously avoiding all magical means of travel. It might be traced by the Ministry, and now with the Ministry eagerly courting Dumbledore, the last thing Harry wanted was to give them a new bargaining counter with Dumbledore – information about Harry's whereabouts. At the rendezvous, already awaiting him were three people. Two of them were the familiar figures of Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass, while the third was a small and slender middle aged woman, with honey blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. Nott smiled at the two Gryffindors, "Ah, there you are, Potter, Granger. Having a good summer?"

Harry shrugged in a non-committal fashion, while Hermione nodded. Daphne introduced the unknown personage. "Mum, this is Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Harry, Hermione – this is my mother."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Greengrass", smiled Hermione, while Harry bowed with a muttered greeting.

"So where are we going", questioned Harry.

Mrs. Greengrass took a small lead pipe from her robes, and with a tap of her want enlarged it until it was around two feet long. This is a portkey that will take us to our destination. It is a few miles from here, and I think we would do well to take the portkey, rather than walk."

Harry felt the tug behind his navel as the portkey activated, and stumbled at his destination, as his feet slammed into the ground. He would have fallen if a man, who had evidently been waiting for them at their destination, not grabbed him by the arm and stabilised him.

"Thanks", muttered Harry as he looked up at the man who had prevented him from falling. Horrified comprehension came to him as he recognised the face – it was a face he had seen in the _Daily Prophet _ the year before.

"Rodolphus Lestrange!", he gasped.

---(End of the Chapter)---


	15. Of Puzzles and Attacks

**Black Vengeance – 14 **

(Author's Note: I am not sure how many people noticed a couple of incongruities relating to the death of Sirius Black – his fall seemed to be in direct dissonance with the effects of a _stunner _as described in other places. This has always intrigued me, and I am putting my interpretation on that little puzzle. Secondly, I will be focussing on the working of wards in this chapter. I have never seen a story that deals with the actual working of wards and how spells are combined to form effective protections, nor how they can be breached.

As usual, all criticism is welcome.)

**Of Puzzles and Attacks **

---(Beginning of the Chapter)---

Harry's hand had automatically dipped into his robes, and his fingers curled around his wand, when he felt a hand clamp warningly on his wrist. "Potter! No!", came the sharp voice of Mrs. Greengrass.

"They ... killed ... Sirius", panted Harry, as he struggled to break her grip.

Mrs. Greengrass held on desperately, while Rodolphus laughed, a cold, harsh laugh. Harry was jolted out of his struggles by the odd manner of Lestrange. He looked on as the man, who had his wand in his hand made no move to cast any spells. He was holding his wand in a defensive posture. Rodolphus Lestrange's laughter finally subsided enough, as he wheezed, "Potter, you must be the most simple-minded person on earth."

"What. Do. You. Mean?", came Hermione's cool and carefully enunciated voice. She too held her own wand in her hand.

Rodolphus Lestrange shook his head, "Merlin! They reckon you two among the best of the Light side!", he remarked in wonder, as he continued, "Can you see Sirius Black's death in your mind's eye, Potter? Can you picture the exact sequence of events which led to his death?"

Of course, Harry could remember it. He could see the red jet of light hitting Sirius in the chest, and Sirius' body rising up and then falling in a long graceful arc behind the Veil. He could see Sirius' surprise and fear as he fell beyond the Veil.

"I've seen it enough in my nightmares", snarled Harry, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"And you noticed nothing unusual about it?", questioned Rodolphus, his disbelief and disgust apparent in his voice.

Harry looked puzzled as Rodolphus continued, "Potter, surely you've seen enough people hit by _stunners_? That was what Bella fired at her cousin."

"It was sufficient to send him beyond the Veil", he returned in a tight voice.

"You fool! When was the last time someone hit by a _stunner _rise up into the air and fall in a long, graceful arc? _Stunners _tend to knock you down, Potter, they might even knock you back a yard or two. People don't fall in long, smooth curves when hit by _stunners_."

There was silence at this pronouncement, complete, cold and eerie. Hermione'e eyes had widened enough to give Dobby's a run for their money, even as she turned chalk white. Harry gaped at Rodolphus Lestrange – the implications of what Rodolphus Lestrange had just said were too terrifying to contemplate. If Bella did not kill Sirius, who did? The words were still rankling in Harry's mind, when Mrs. Greengrass broke the silence. "Potter", she began and as Harry spun round to face her, she continued, "He's not here to harm you. On the contrary, he's here to help."

"A Death Eater here to help me, Mrs. Greengrass?", his eyes flashing between anger and confusion.

"Potter, please allow me to explain before you go around doing something rash", answered Mrs. Greengrass, even as she looked at Nott for help. The weedy looking Slytherin nodded quietly, "Not to worry, Potter. Remember Daphne and I are oath sworn not to betray you. But let's go inside. What we have to reveal is best done inside rather than on the pavement."

"But first, Potter, I need to key you and Granger to these wards. I need a drop of your blood – both of you." Rodolphus Lestrange had spoken for the first time.

Harry's confusion deepened at this. Daphne interpreted his look, and returned, "Harry, my mother's maiden name is Priscilla Lestrange. Rodolphus Lestrange is her brother and the Lestranges specialise in warding."

"Lestrange!", Harry whispered at Daphne. "Then Bellatrix ..."

"Is my aunt, yes", returned Daphne in a quiet voice, an unreadable look in her eyes.

Harry and Hermione watched in fascination as Rodolphus Lestrange and Priscilla Greengrass cast a number of spells, before a manor shimmered into existence before their eyes. Once that was accomplished, they all made their way into the gloomy, and dimly lit home of the Notts.

Ten minutes later, the group was sitting in soft cushions in a large sitting room. Priscilla Lestrange-Greengrass began in her quiet voice, "Before we go into long explanations, I think we need to establish some trust between us, Potter. You have very little reason to trust us, and we have too much at stake to take things on faith, much less hope. However, we need your help, and you need ours if you are to prevail against the Dark Lord. So, we shall begin with an oath that prevents us from speaking lies at this meeting."

"What is the form, madam", queried Hermione.

"It is an old wizards' oath with _damnum veneficus –_ loss of magic – as the penalty for lying. You can refuse to answer any question, but you cannot lie." She pushed an old contract towards Harry and Hermione. The muggle-born witch studied the document for a few minutes, cast several spells on it to ensure that no hidden clauses were on it, and finally safisfied, she nodded to Harry. "It seems a fair agreement, Harry. There is no way to breach the clauses without losing one's magic."

Rodolphus Lestrange was holding his left forearm in his right hand when cut in, "Prissie, I can feel the Dark Lord calling me. Let us complete the vows, I'll take an oath not to betray any of you, and you can explain everything to Potter and Granger. We'll have to do the Fidelius charm tomorrow morning."

"Do you think he suspects something?" There was a faint note of anxiety in Priscilla's voice. Rodolphus smiled fatalistically, "I hope not, but there is only one way to find out."

A few minutes later, Rodolphus Lestrange had taken his oath not to betray Harry and Hermione and left to answer his master's summons. Just as he was leaving, he smiled at Harry and Hermione, "Think carefully about how Sirius Black died. Let's see if you can puzzle out what happened exactly." He included all the inhabitants in a long, sweeping bow and left the room.

Once her brother was gone, Priscilla Lestrange leant back in her chair, and questioned, "Before I start explaining anything, Potter, how much do you know of the last war?"

**---**(Scene Break)---

Rodolphus Lestrange had been acknowledged a master of ward-setting, and by extension, ward breaking by almost everyone in magical Britain. Once one of the highest paid freelance ward-setters of the mid and late nineteen seventies, he had disappointed the wizarding world by throwing in his lot with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. To most people, it did not make much sense either. The man had had a very promising career, and was raking galleons by the ton thanks to the paranoia of the war. He had set the wards on the homes of some of the most prominent figures of the Ministry, before his allegiance with the Dark Lord was suspected. Whatever the cause, Rodolphus Lestrange had joined Voldemort and he was at the moment, showing just why his reputation was deserved at Emmeline Vance's home.

In the meantime, Bellatrix having _disillusioned _the two rookie Death Eaters and herself, was snapping out orders, "Hillcrest, Give Rodolphus cover while casts the wards. Travers, block the back door. Cooper, you're reserve – you move if you see red sparks. Now, go!" Bella positioned herself near the front door, standing well away and at an angle to ensure that she was not hit by spells from inside.

Blessed with his phenomenal knowledge of wards, and mage-sight[1, it took Rodolphus less than a minute to detect the limits of the wards on the home. With that determined, he set about to place his own wards outside them to prevent the good Healer from leaving or communicating with anyone. He cast a _messaging _charm ward – a spell preventing _messenger _spells from working. He then placed an anti-apparition jinx – this was a standard precaution to prevent people escaping or sending others for help. A strong anti-portkey ward followed the anti-apparition ward. Leaving Hillcrest holding the three wards, he then began chanting a floo-jammer, as he drew a _rune-writer_ from his robes. One of the most difficult things about being a ward breaker was doing multiple tasks at the same time. Holding two jinxes while attacking a ward required a kind of focus and precision that most people were incapable of – which was why very few people were capable of ward-breaking.

Each ward was nothing but a set of similar spells, held together and powered by a rune that was designed to fit the needs of the spells it held together. Wards were set in two or three layers; usually there would be a detection layer and a response layer. More sophisticated wards would also contain a concealment layer. The basic problem with wards was that multiple wards could not be simply amalgamated into one single massive ward. They could however be set such that each layer may cover the weakness of the other, in a sort of a powerful ward ring. Most wizarding houses sported only set of wards. Of course, rich families and Manor houses had multiple sets of wards, and breaking any one of them was a serious problem and usually required a team of people. Some fortresses, like Azkaban and Hogwarts, had magic imbued into their very structure and had withstood the odd Light Lord and the not so odd Dark Lord, without collapsing, or even taking much damage.

Rodolphus concentrated on examining the wards at the Vance residence, as he drew two runes on the ground with his _rune-writer_ and waved his wand in a long and complicated pattern. He nodded with a small sigh of satisfaction – the wards had been disguised by a simple _Obscuro Veneficus _spell. There was an anti-muggle ward consisting of a _repelling-and-confusing_ charm, a rather weak _anti-apparition_ and _anti-portkey_ jinx – Rodolphus shook his head – why did people use such weak anti-apparition spells? A strong witch or wizard, let alone Bella, far less the Dark Lord, could probably apparate right through it, breaking it just by brute force. There was an obscure water rune – a curious mix of a Carthaginian water spell, and an Norse Condensing charm – protecting the house from fire based spells. Finally, there was an inner layer of wards, which consisted of intruder alarms, and counters based on _stunners_ and _confundus_ charms.

He turned to Bella, rasping out, "_Stunning _spells and _confundus _charms. Fire protection."

"Draw her out.", she ordered.

Bella's order made perfect sense. Wizarding homes were often enchanted enough that they would help their owners to the best possible extent. Going into an enemy's home was done only if there was no other way possible. Rodolphus concentrated hard for a moment, waving his wand in a wide arc, as he sought the anchor of the water rune. Finding it, he knelt down to write two powerful drying and draining runes on the ground, linking it to the water rune. He nodded to Bella, "Now!"

Bellatrix snapped out, "Rodolphus, take control of all the wards. Hillcrest – join Travers." When her orders had been complied with, Bellatrix raised her own wand, and sent a hellfire curse at Vance's home. The curse impacted and a roaring fire burst from the outer walls of Emmeline Vance's home. At the attack, the water rune in the ward flared into life, and shuddered as the runes drawn by Rodolphus also activated. For a moment, they both strove for dominance, but Rodolphus had chosen his counters carefully and the water rune shattered and winked out of existence.

The first indication Emmeline received that something was wrong was when Bella's hellfire curse had set her home aflame. She waited for the anti-fire wards to put out the fire, but was horrified to see nothing happening. She grabbed her wand and tried to get out of the rear door, but was sent stumbling back into the burning house by a volley of _cutters_ and blasting curses from Travers and Hillcrest. They were under cover and she would be in the open – to try getting out under those circumstances was suicide.

Emmeline did not even bother trying to get out the front door – it was obvious that she was completely surrounded, and her attackers held all the aces. She tried the floo, apparating, sending a message to other Order members and her emergency portkey, but none of them worked, and the fire was spreading faster than she could put it out. She sighed – she had known she would be a target for Death Eaters from the moment she had joined the Order, and her husband had paid the ultimate price in the last war. Well – if she could not escape on the ground, she would from the air. Emmeline summoned her broom and took off into the night sky, her broom clutched in her left hand, and her wand in the other; she rose above the burning building, and sent a couple of powerful cutting curses in the direction from where the previous curses had come at her. None of them had any impact – apparently, her attackers had been clever to keep changing their positions, moving quickly enough from cover to cover. If only she could make it past those anti-apparition wards, she would get away from the Death Eaters.

Unfortunately for Emmeline, she had been silhouetted against the moon as she rose into the sky, and the burning building provided enough light for the wizards on the ground to send curses at her. A _stunner _and a _bludgeoning _hex flew past her, narrowly missing her. Suddenly, her broom gave a jerk, almost throwing her off. She maintained her seat on the broom, but the broom bucked again wildly. Emmeline lost her seat, but managed to hang on by one hand sending another blasting hex waywardly, but to little avail. The broom was now madly flinging itself across the horizon, desperate to throw her off. Emmeline lost her grip as her broom lurched again. As she fell, she cast an _arresto momentum _spell on herself, followed by a powerful shield charm to stop anyone from taking pot-shots at her as she fell slowly.

On the ground, the _disillusioned _Bellatrix had seen Emmeline Vance rise into the sky on the broom – she could have laughed out loud at the stupid Healer putting herself between her enemies on the ground and the moon. Her eyes fixated on the broom, she began chanting an old _broom curse_ furiously. She was rewarded a few moments later as the broom threw off Emmeline. She barked out to the other Death Eaters, "Take her alive!"

Emmeline gulped as she heard the cold voice, and sent a powerful cutting curse in the direction of the voice. Bella batted aside the hex with a contemptuous flick of her wand , as the hexes from Travers and Hillcrest shattered Emmeline's shield. Bellatrix let Emmeline land – the moment she landed on the ground would be the time when she would be most vulnerable, since she would need to find her feet, so to speak – and sent a wordless _crucio _at the witch. Emmeline Vance shrieked as the _cruciatus _curse caught her squarely, and was still screaming when everything went black as a couple of _stunners_ from Travers and Hillcrest ended the battle.

Bellatrix surveyed the battlefield with satisfaction – everything had gone according to plan and she had the captive whom she could interrogate to her heart's content. That done, she took charge of the prisoner, and bound the Healer with conjured ropes. Finally, she raised her wand sending a Dark Mark into the sky, and snarled to the others, "The job's done. Let's go." She turned to Travers and the two rookies, "Report to me tomorrow morning. The Dark Lord'll hear of this."

With that, both Rodolphus Lestrange and his wife _disapparated _away with soft pops, leaving the other Death Eaters to make their own way to safety.

---(End of the Chapter)---

* * *

[1It is a gift that allows people to see' magical fields and objects. They can tell where a magical field begins/ends and what objects are enchanted or are magical, and to an extent judge the strength of the magic. It does not allow them to manipulate the magic in any way, nor does it permit them to distinguish the spells that are present on the object/field. 


	16. Of Deals and Preliminary Interrogations

**Black Vengeance – 15**

(Author's Note: One of the things that struck me really is the fact that most of the casualties in the previous war – both on the side of the Order and the Dark Lord – are pureblood witches and wizards. Given the attrition rate amongst the purebloods in the previous war, and their relatively limited recuperative and replacement abilities – most pureblood families seem on their last legs – it occurs to me that they, most of all, would want a quick end to the war. This is a theme I will be developing in this chapter.

As usual, all criticism is welcome.)

**Of Deals and Preliminary Interrogations **

"So tell me, Potter, what do you actually know of the previous war?", questioned Mrs. Greengrass as she leant back in her chair.

Hermione began, "The war started in '71, when Voldemort and a bunch of people, who would later be known as Death Eaters, attacked a group of muggles in Hampshire and left a Dark Mark hovering over the spot. Over the next few months, there were several more attacks ..."

"Ms. Granger, you're concentrating on the wrong parts. It's not the actual events and their dates that we're concerned with, for the moment. We're more interested in the casualty list."

"What're you getting at?", queried a perplexed Harry.

"Let's take the Order of the Phoenix. Who were the ones who were killed or permanently incapacitated – through injuries or otherwise – during the last war, Potter?"

Harry returned in surprise, "The McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts, the Longbottoms, my parents, Dorcas Meadowes, ..."

"Quite so", interrupted Mrs. Greengrass. "Now Potter, with the exception of your mother and Benjy Fenwick, what is common to all of them?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting to, Mrs. Greengrass."

"They were all purebloods", answered Mrs. Greengrass.

"So the others don't matter?", flared Harry. "If they're not purebloods, they're not human?"

"I never said or implied that, so kindly keep your temper in check until I've finished", returned Mrs. Greengrass in a steely voice. "It was the same on the other side. Many of the pureblood families were completely destroyed. The point, Potter, is that while the war took a toll on the others certainly, the worst effect was on the purebloods. Many pureblood families were wiped out, and those that are surviving are on their last legs. Do you realise what this means?"

"Much less support for Voldemort this time", returned Harry cynically.

"Would you say the same about your father, Potter? Or the Bones family?"

"Sorry", apologised Harry sheepishly.

"The point is that, for the purebloods, to survive this round of war, the war has to finish quickly. There are so few of us left around that only a long peace can restore our families. There is no way we can survive a long war. We are desirable allies for both sides because many of the older pureblood families are rich and politically influential. By the same token, it makes us attractive targets for the opposition. Neutrality is not an option for long – either the Dark Lord will coerce us to cooperate with him, or else, he will kill us for refusing to help him."

"Okay", replied Harry slowly. "But what does it have to do with me? I can't face, much less kill Voldemort."

"We don't expect you to. As you are probably aware, many of the supporters of the Dark Lord are purebloods. Some of them are aware of the serious peril in which the pureblood society is in. They realise that this war is not only counterproductive but a serious threat to their very existence and all they hold dear. They wish to leave the Dark Lord."

"Of course, we would not ask you to do this out of generosity. We can offer much in return, Potter", continued Priscilla hurriedly, as Harry opened his mouth to speak. "We all realise that it is pointless to offer you money, Potter. Your parents were rich – so that is not going to be attractive to you."

"So what d'you offer me?"

"Firstly, this war is not going to be won on the battlefield purely. Many of the Dark Lord's supporters are ensconced inside the High Council and the Wizengamot. In order to galvanise the Wizarding world against the Dark Lord, you will need political support. We can offer you that. Second – to face the Dark Lord, you need training. We can offer you that. Thirdly, we know more about the Dark Lord and his secrets than anyone else. We can offer you much information about him. Finally, we can offer you a chance to clear your Godfather's name."

"How can you clear Sirius' name?"

"Pettigrew", answered Priscilla simply.

"You have Pettigrew?"

"We know where he is."

Harry closed his eyes, contemplating his loss and how close to freedom Sirius had been. If only he had got this offer while Sirius was alive ...

He heard Priscilla sigh sadly, "For what it is worth, Potter, we're truly sorry about Sirius. We'd hoped that presenting Pettigrew to you and clearing Sirius Black would help build trust between us."

"But why come to me? Why not – say ..."

"Dumbledore, or the Ministry, for instance?"

Harry nodded, as Mrs. Greengrass continued, "The Ministry is compromised by agents of all sides, Potter. Most of them have sold their allegiance to various factions– to the Dark Lord, to Dumbledore, to Fudge, and so on. It is the place where all sides bicker amicably – or sometimes, not so amicably. It is pointless to try anything there."

"There are two principal reasons for approaching you, and not Dumbledore, Potter. The first is that leaving the Dark Lord with the Dark Mark on is plain suicidal. You are the only one who can remove the Dark Mark."

"I can remove the Dark Mark?"

"The Dark Mark is an imprint of the Dark Lord's will, Potter. It is a fairly simple spell, but it takes two very rare attributes to be able to remove it. The first is that the counter-spell requires to be spoken in parseltongue."

"And the second?", asked Hermione.

"It requires a will stronger than that of the Dark Lord."

"How do you know I've got a stronger will than Voldemort?"

"You managed to drive him out when he tried to possess you. You also defeated him in a _priori incantatem _duel – something that depends on just will power, not magical ability, power or knowledge."

Harry thought for a moment, and spoke, "You mentioned two reasons for approaching me. What's the other?"

"We don't believe Dumbledore wants a quick end to the war."

"What?!"

"Consider the facts, Potter. He had an year's time before the Dark Lord made his reappearance public. He knew in advance – or at least, suspected who the Death Eaters were. Yet he made no effort to get clinching evidence of the Dark Lord's return."

"He spoke many times that Voldemort had returned ...", burst out Hermione furiously.

"Yes, but without producing any evidence. Never, ever did he provide an iota of proof for the Dark Lord's return. How about showing his memories of the interrogation of young Crouch to people like Amelia Bones? Or showing your memories, Potter, of how you watched the resurrection of the Dark Lord, duelled him and then managed to escape to the Wizengamot? He never even spoke of the exact events surrounding the return of the Dark Lord – it was merely his assertion that the Dark Lord had been revived. In fact, if I remember right, it was you two speaking in an interview in the _Quibbler _that first gave your version of what occurred that fateful night. Surely, Potter, you did not expect people to believe something as outre as the return of the Dark Lord without any proof?"

"The _Daily Prophet _was taking orders from Fudge – it wouldn't print Dumbledore's words."

"Do you seriously believe that Dumbledore does not know anyone in the journalistic profession that would print his words? Dumbledore has been in the Magical World for fifteen decades. Do you honestly think he does not know how to reach the people who matter?"

This stumped both Harry and Hermione, who exchanged glances. The girl queried, "Why would Dumbledore want to prolong the war?"

"That, Ms. Granger, is a discussion for another time, when we trust each other more."

During the conversation, Harry had risen to his feet and begun pacing up and down the room. He considered Mrs. Greengrass' offer for a moment. Dealing with Death Eaters and potential Death Eaters was always hazardous. While the oath spoken at the beginning of the session precluded speaking falsehoods, he did not for a moment doubt that Mrs. Greengrass had hidden at least as much as she revealed. The oblique reference to political support had not escaped Harry. While they no doubt wanted to support Harry in defeating Voldemort, they also doubtless would manoeuvre him into positions where he might be obliged to support them. He wondered what other agenda the Death Eaters had. Were they merely trying to put their heads down for the moment, waiting for a more opportune time to help another Dark Lord? Was he to be the champion of their ideals?

On the other hand, he could not deny the obvious advantages either. As things stood, Harry had nearly zero freedom. With Dumbledore breathing down his neck, every move of Harry was carefully monitored and his abilities charted. Harry had no illusions about the headmaster – he was just a weapon to Dumbledore, one to be unleashed on Voldemort whenever the old man felt the time was right. Harry had no particular desire to be a pawn on the chessboard. Here was a golden opportunity to break free of Dumbledore's clutches, and into his own stride. The training and information about Voldemort would be extremely useful too. But the clinching bit was the assistance proffered in clearing Sirius' name. Harry had had a burning desire to prove Sirius innocent of the crimes he was accused of, and producing Pettigrew would definitely help.

He finally inquired, "Who wishes to leave Voldemort?"

Mrs. Greengrass readily answered, "The Lestranges, Rookwood, and Nott."

"Bellatrix Lestrange?!", responded Harry in surprise.

"Yes."

"But – she worships Voldemort. The Longbottoms .."

"She is innocent, Potter."

"Excuse me!"

"Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan are innocent of torturing the Longbottoms – that is what my brother told me."

Harry looked in utter disbelief at Priscilla Greengrass, who shrugged, "I don't know the details either, Potter. If you want to know how they can be innocent, you'll have to ask them."

There was dead silence at her pronouncement. Harry was really torn at this.

The silence had continued for several minutes, as Potter continued to pace. Finally, Mrs. Greengrass spoke, "Do we have a deal on these terms, Potter."

Harry replied, "Let me get this straight. You are willing to offer me training, political support, information about Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew. In return, I help you and your friends leave Voldemort and help you end the war as quickly as possible."

"Correct, Potter."

"If you stick to those terms, we have a deal."

---(Scene Break)---

Emmeline Vance had had better days in her life. Waking up in a cold cell was not her idea of a pleasant morning, but given the events of the previous night, she was surprised that she was still alive at all. She rose gingerly, checked her own condition quickly and efficiently. Apart from a dull ache all over her body – after effects of the _cruciatus _curse, she reflected grimly – and a few bruises, she seemed remarkably little worse for wear. Her wand, broom and emergency _portkey_ were gone, of course, but her watch, handkerchief and purse were dumped at the foot of her bed. She looked around the dimly lit room, but apart from a camp bed and a couple of chairs, it was bereft of aught else. Deciding to sit back and await any new developments, she reclined back in her bed and began reflecting on the events that had occurred in the last few hours. That she was alive was good, but that was all about it. If she was being kept alive, it was probably so that they could question her. She shuddered mentally – she had seen enough victims of Death Eater 'interrogations' not to realise how terrible a fate it predicted.

She had not long to wait. There was a brief knock on her door, followed by an intimation that Emmeline was to sit on her bed, with her palms spread outward and where her host could see. Then the Healer heard the rustle of keys and a tall, black haired woman entered with her wand pointed unwaveringly at Emmeline. "Good morning!", she cooed maliciously. "I trust you found our hospitality to your liking?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange!", stated Emmeline, raising her eyebrows.

"I see you recognise me", murmured Bellatrix. "Good, I trust you've realised why we kept you alive?"

Emmeline clamped down on her horror, as she answered in a voice of apathy and resignation, "You want to question me."

"Correct", smiled her interlocutor sadistically. "Now, be a good girl and spill what I want to know. If you prevaricate or trifle with me, I'm afraid I'll have to use some ... compulsion." There was no mistaking the hope in Bellatrix's voice that Emmeline would lie or refuse to cooperate.

Bellatrix had initially considered torturing Emmeline Vance for information and disposing of her afterwards, or handing her over to Voldemort. But last night had changed everything. Priscilla had communicated with Rodolphus that Harry Potter had agreed to help in removing the Dark Mark, and Bellatrix was officially betraying the Dark Lord. She realised that killing Vance was now worse than a crime – it was a blunder. Vance was a very good Healer and would be of considerable use to her and her allies. Besides, Bellatrix had no desire to estrange her one hope of leaving the madman who was ruining the pureblood society and Potter was unlikely to take kindly to her killing an Order member pointlessly. Consequently, she decided to persuade Vance to join her faction. If that did not work out, there were always other more ruthless means to consider. Besides, the entire set of circumstances whereby Emmeline had been betrayed to the Dark Lord had made her curious, and she wanted to resolve her perplexities. She spoke, "You were betrayed to the Dark Lord – by Snape. Can you guess why he would do it?"

Whatever it was that Emmeline expected, it was not that. "Snape betrayed me?! Snape?!"

"Are you deaf?", snapped Bellatrix irritably.

"You're lying", returned Emmeline, just as forcefully.

"You fool!", snarled Bellatrix. "I've got no reason to lie. Snape betrayed you. He claimed that he had supplied some potions to your home and thus found where it was. He betrayed you to the Dark Lord."

Emmeline Vance gaped in amazement, and Bellatrix saw that the Healer had no answer to her questions. She continued, "The point is – was Snape doing it on his own, or was he following orders in doing it? If so, why?"

"I can't imagine why Snape would betray me to You-Know-Who. I've done nothing to him."

Bellatrix nodded, "Then it was because someone else – probably in the Order – wishes you dead. Can you think of anyone?"

Emmeline shook her head slowly, as Bellatrix continued musingly, "Either it is because you're expendable, and getting you killed helps keep Snape in the Dark Lord's good books, or else, because you're a threat to someone. Point is – even if Snape had seen where you live, he should have been _obliviated _to prevent him disclosing your residence. You were never prominent in fighting against the Dark Side. So why pick on you?"

The word _obliviate _had brought up something in Emmeline's memory. She frowned for a moment, and being the experienced _legilimens _that she was, Bellatrix latched on to it. "What is it?", she asked sharply.

In the excitement of her capture, Emmeline had forgotten all about the Longbottoms. Here was the witch who had supposedly tortured the Longbottoms into insanity. She looked at Bellatrix, and answered carefully, "Well, it is just something that came up in my work. But why are you telling me about Snape?"

Bellatrix smiled, and for the first time, it was a genuine smile, "You see, I've got an offer for you."

---(End of the Chapter)---


	17. Of Truths and Lies

**Black Vengeance – 16**

**Of Truths and Lies**

(Author's Note: This chapter contains the explanation of Sirius Black's murder. I have read several accounts where the _stunner _of Bellatrix was considered accidental. However, I have read only one story where it was not her spell that caused his death – a story by Minniequill, which has not been unfortunately updated in quite some time. (Minniequill – if you are reading this, may I express my hope you will return to the story? It was excellent and it would be a shame to abandon it.) While her account of the immediate circumstances attending his death differed a bit from canon version (the actual events itself, I mean), I must say that I got the basic idea from her, which I am reusing in a different fashion. I hope my explanation will not only be in consonance with the canonical occurrence, but provide a different interpretation of the anomalies that were never explained in canon (at least until the end of Book 6 – I have not read Book 7.

This story had almost been dropped by me. The previous update was an year ago. If I wrote it from the beginning today, I would have taken a bit more care to develop Nott and Greengrass and their relations to Harry's group more carefully. For reasons I am not aware of, there seems to be a sudden interest in this story, and I have been inundated by a ton of mails requesting me to continue this story in the last two weeks. So be it folks. I bow to your will. The story shall be finished as it was originally intended to.

As usual, all criticism is welcome.)

--(Beginning of the Chapter)--

Bellatrix had set about elaborating on her offer without any further ado. She spoke of her desire to leave the Dark Lord and join Potter, and his allies in their quest to destroy He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Finally, she made her offer – join Bella and her allies, and escape to Potter's side. When she had finished, Emmeline latter was completely dumbfounded. When she had recovered her powers of speech, she burst out, "You must be joking! Why would you leave the _Dark Lord_'s service?"

Bellatrix snapped icily, "My reasons are my own. Do you accept or refuse?"

"If I refuse?" questioned Emmeline.

"We'll have to dispose of you", returned her interlocutor shrugging indifferently, "We can't leave someone who'll run blabbing to Dumbledore the moment we turn away."

Emmeline's smile was bitter. "Not much of a choice, is it?"

"Considering last night's events, it's the only choice", rasped Bella. "Your own Order betrayed you, the _Dark Lord_ is hunting for you, and the morons at the _Ministry_ can't find their way out of a paper bag if their lives depended on it! Where can you go?"

Emmeline digested Bella's words. After a moment, she questioned, "But why would you follow a child? Why not go to Dumbledore? Do you plan to or have you already turned Potter dark?"

"Why would I go to a loser like Dumbledore?" laughed Bella coldly. "Didn't you see enough of your colleagues dead in the last war? What makes you think things will be better this time over?"

Emmeline couldn't in all honesty deny the number of casualties. However, she bit back, "Dumbledore did all he could to protect us! And Potter's still a child!"

"If the best that Dumbledore can do gets three quarters of his allies wiped out, it's time he retired! As for Potter, he's no more a child than I am. He's already crossed wands with the _Dark Lord _four times and survived. He led a bunch of school children to the _Ministry _and foiled the _Dark Lord's _plans." Bella found it prudent not to mention her own actions in the _Ministry _affair, as she continued, "Potter's likely to win, and I plan to be on the winning side."

"How can he win against _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named_?"

"He's got advantages no one else does. But that's beside the point. Have you made up your mind? Will you join us or will you die?"

Emmeline reflected for a moment. She remembered James and Lily, and had been good friends with them. If Harry had indeed joined Bellatrix, as the Azkaban escapee implied, it would be a good idea for someone who had Harry's good at heart to keep an eye on him. She could find out what the boy was planning. Besides, she was curious why Bellatrix was defecting. Bella was a very high ranking _Death Eater, _and her actions were in total contrast to her behaviour for the past twenty years. If there was a schism among the followers of _ You-Know-Who_, it would be good for her to keep herself informed of it. Further, she believed Bellatrix when the other woman had told her of Snape. She needed to warn Dumbledore that Snape had gone over to the _Dark _side. Finally, her most important concern at the moment was staying alive. She could do something only if she was alive. She sighed, and nodded, "I accept."

"Good", returned Bellatrix. "I want you to swear an _unbreakable vow _about this, and we can leave."

"An _unbreakable _vow?" began Emmeline, but Bellatrix didn't have time for niceties. She snarled, "What else did you expect? That we would take your word to be a good girl and let you go? We aren't fools." Without waiting for Emmeline to respond, she turned to the door, and called, "Tilly!" A small elf appeared, and Bella ordered her to bring her husband. When Rodolphus had joined them, Bella and Emmeline knelt clasping their right hands, while Rodolphus stood as the bonder. "Will you swear not to reveal anything of what you have learnt from us to anyone except Harry Potter?"

"I will", returned Emmeline.

"Will you swear not to do anything that would knowingly endanger any of us?"

"I will."

"Will you remain loyal to and help Harry Potter to the best of your ability?"

"I will!"

Bella rose from the floor, and spoke to the elf, "Pack a few necessities for the next few days. Destroy any evidence implicating us. We need to leave soon."

--(Scene Break)--

Harry and Hermione had been allotted quarters in the rambling manor that now constituted the headquarters of Potter's group. The Greengrasses and Nott had left Harry and Hermione to their own devices. The two Gryffindors were now closeted in their room and Hermione broke the silence, "Harry, are you alright?"

Harry did not answer her, so Hermione walked to Harry and gently put her arm around his shoulder. "Anything I can do to help?" she whispered.

Harry knew that Hermione would want broach the subject of their latest alliance, but this was precisely the subject he wanted to avoid discussing. Consequently, he murmured, "What do you think really happened to Sirius?"

"I've been thinking about it", replied Hermione, a pensive expression on her face. "Is it true what Rodolphus Lestrange said? That Bellatrix hit him with just a _stunner_?"

"I've no idea, Hermione, but what I saw agrees with what he said. We'll have to find out from Bellatrix Lestrange, I guess."

"If what he said is true", pondered Hermione, "what could have happened?"

"I can't imagine. But the best I can come up with is that someone pushed him into the _Veil _at the same moment he was hit with the _stunner_."

"But who ..."

"Aye – who indeed?" mused Harry tonelessly, recounting that part of the battle to Hermione. "First, let us get the easier parts out of the way. I didn't hear any spell, so whoever pushed him beyond the Veil must have used a wordless spell. Agreed?" Hermione nodded.

Harry continued, "Apart from Neville and myself, there were Remus, Kingsley, and Dumbledore still on their feet on our side, and Rookwood, Bellatrix, Rabastan, Malfoy, and Avery still on their side. Of these, Rookwood was fighting Kingsley. Avery and Rabastan were fighting Remus, while Malfoy was busy trying to snatch the prophecy from Neville and me. Also, Hermione, the moment Dumbledore arrived, the Death Eaters panicked. They were trying to get away – save themselves. I don't remember any of them giving Sirius a thought."

"But Harry, that means ..."

"Exactly," returned Harry grimly.

Hermione was looking completely horror stricken, as Harry continued dispassionately. All the pain, all the sorrow was happening to someone else. Harry was a brain without a heart for the moment. "But it all makes sense, when you think about it. My careful isolation, ensuring I had no adult figure to look up to, except for Dumbledore. Dumbledore giving evidence that Sirius was the secret keeper and ten years later, yet believing his innocence without any problem, Sirius' melodramatic escape out of the country courtesy your time-turner so that he would be unavailable to me, carefully isolating him from me this year, the disastrous occlumency lessons with Snape – oh yes, it all makes perfect sense! It was beautifully executed, when you think of it."

"No! It can't be! There must be some other explanation!"

"Care to tell me?" murmured Harry sardonically.

That shut Hermione up momentarily, but the muggleborn girl was irrepressible. She pleaded, "You can't seriously believe that it was Dumbledore who killed Sirius?!"

"Why not? Why did he condemn Sirius to twelve years of hell without questioning him? And then, after twelve years, he believed Sirius' innocence merely on his own word. Doesn't that sound wrong to you?"

"He just made a mistake!"

"And realised it suddenly after twelve years?"

"Harry, you can't jump to conclusions!" Hermione's hero was falling to the ground in pieces and not all the King's horses and the King's men could put her idol back on the wall! She was not going to abandon her position without a fight.

Harry looked at her for a long moment. "You're right in one thing, Hermione. It won't do to jump to conclusions. However, we'll be able to judge for ourselves who did it in a bit."

What Hermione would have replied to that became academic as Harry's journal began to glow and grow warm – the usual call up sign. Harry drew it from his bag, and opened it to see who was trying to contact him, with Hermione craning over his shoulder to read as well. The caller was Susan Bones, the words appeared in black

"_Harry, we have been discovering some important news. Can we discuss?"_

"_Yes, go on" replied Harry._

Swiftly, and methodically, Susan Bones told Harry of her experiences, of how the letter she had sent her aunt had never reached the head of Magical Law Enforcement. Further she spoke of her interview with David Greenberry and how the warning had been severely diluted by Dumbledore, with the consequence that there were no aurors guarding her aunt. She finished,

"_So, you see, Harry, it took a number of coincidences to make sure that auntie knew nothing of the impending attack on her. I wonder if they were all coincidences!"_

_Harry replied, "Susan, I'm almost certain that they weren't coincidences. Someone intercepted the letters. Hermione's parents were also sent a warning, but they didn't get it either. I would be very surprised if Neville's letters reached his grandmother. Someone wanted them all dead!"_

"_But who, Harry? And why?"_

"_All that will be answered soon, Susan. The more important thing is for you to be safe. Where are you now?"_

"_With Katie Bell, at her home."_

"_Good. Stay there. I have some information as well, and you could be in danger. I will make sure you and Katie are picked up by a friend and you can come here where Hermione and I are staying. You should be safer here. The watchword is 'Black and Gold'._

Susan agreed to do Harry's bidding and on that note, they signed off.

Harry and Hermione's faces were grim, at the thought of Murphy's law being followed to the letter – everything that could go wrong was going wrong.

At the moment, an elf popped into the room, and announced. "Mistress wants yous in the library!"

--(Scene Break)--

Harry descended to the library with Hermione in tow, and awaiting them there were Bellatrix and her husband, apart from a most surprising guest. Emmeline Vance. Harry's face must have proclaimed his surprise, but Mrs. Greengrass waved both Harry and Hermione into seats and explained how Emmeline Vance had been captured, while Bellatrix spoke of how the Healer had been betrayed by Snape, how she had been assigned by the Dark Lord to kill her and how she had, instead, captured Emmeline. Emmeline confirmed the latter part of Bellatrix's story. Both Harry and Hermione were horrified by the end of the story.

Harry mused, "Dumbledore is Snape's greatest backer. Even when everyone suspects him of being on Voldemort's side, Dumbledore supports him. I've always wondered why."

Mrs. Greengrass reclined in her chair. "The more important thing is why did Snape betray Mrs. Vance. If Snape did it on his own, the answer lies with Snape. But if he was ordered to betray her, then it was for a reason and the answer lies with Mme. Vance herself."

"Dumbledore would never betray anyone to Voldemort!" objected Hermione forcefully.

Bellatrix laughed cruelly, while Rodolphus Lestrange remarked coldly, "Your parents, silly girl, would have been dead by now had you depended on Dumbledore! "He certainly did nothing to help them, even when you were warned."

Hermione glared back at Rodolphus, "He probably made a mistake .. ," began Hermione, attempting to shield her idol, only to be interrupted by Mrs. Greengrass, "Did he also make a mistake in the case of Amelia Bones and the Longbottoms? He was warned of the attacks on them!"

"He's just human," defended Hermione, but Emmeline had almost jumped at the name of the Longbottoms. "What is it?" questioned Harry sharply, looking at Emmeline quickly.

Emmeline looked at Harry for a very long time, "I am not sure I should tell you. It concerns the Longbottoms, but ..."

"If it concerns the Longbottoms, then it is most important," returned Harry grimly. "You see, Mrs. Lestrange here claims that she was not involved in the torture of the Longbottoms!"

"What?!" echoed Emmeline in total astonishment.

"It is true," answered Rodolphus. "None of us – Rabastan, myself, and Bellatrix – were involved in attacking the Longbottoms. We were never near the place where they were attacked!"

"But you admitted your guilt at your trial!" objected Potter, looking at Bellatrix. "You even took pride in it, claiming that Voldemort would be back and would reward you above the others!"

"Are you mad, Potter? We admitted nothing at our farce of a trial!" snapped back Rodolphus.

"I could swear that Mrs. Lestrange here challenged Mr. Crouch to throw you all in Azkaban!"

"I can swear we said nothing of the sort!" snarled back Bellatrix.

Harry looked at her incredulously, while Mrs. Greengrass inquired quietly, "How do you know what she said at the trial, Potter?"

"I saw it in Dumbledore's pensieve! I saw young Crouch pleading for mercy, while the others were indifferent or even proud!"

Bellatrix broke into a mirthless laugh, "You saw something in Dumbledore's pensieve and you believed it?! Potter, even after all this time, if you are still stupid enough to believe in what the old man says ..."

Harry had been burnt enough by Dumbledore, but he wanted evidence before he accapted anything now. He turned sombre at her words. "Why don't you tell us what happened, Mr. Lestrange" asked Harry quietly.

"That is easily answered," returned Rodolphus. "Do you know that, a few weeks before the attack on the Longbottoms, we were accused of being the supporters of the Dark Lord?"

Harry nodded slowly, as Rodolphus continued the story. "Well, nothing could be proved against us and we were all acquitted. That was just a few days before the attack on the Longbottoms. The evening before the attack, we all had a party in the Malfoy manor to celebrate our acquittal, and we all had a little too much to drink, I am afraid. Then, late in the night, we went back home and fell asleep. The next morning we were all accused of being involved in the attack on the Longbottoms!"


	18. Of the Longbottom Case

**Black Vengeance – 17 **

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I am just playing in the world created by JKR. As usual, all criticism is welcome.

**Of the Longbottom Case**

"It is ironic that we should have been sentenced for what we did, while being acquitted of what we actually did," murmured Rodolphus Lestrange, as his lips quirked in a cynical smile. Interpreting Harry's questioning glance correctly, he explained, "Bellatrix and I did plenty of things in the Dark Lord's service that we don't even want to think about and we were never convicted of them. And finally, we were done in by something we did not do."

"Your brother?" questioned Harry.

Rodolphus laughed harshly at that, "That is, perhaps, the ultimate irony. He was not even a Death Eater until we were freed by the Dark Lord a few months ago."

"What?!"

"Oh, yes!" nodded Rodolphus. "He was never a Death Eater for sound and practical reasons, Potter. In all families that served the Dark Lord, we left one member unmarked and untainted by Death Eater activities to keep the family safe in case something went wrong and also to maintain plausible deniability. Thus, my brother was left free to represent the Lestrange interests honestly, while Narcissa was left free to safeguard the Malfoy interests. However, they were both Death Eaters in sympathies."

Something stirred in Harry's memory – a remark he had overlooked in Voldemrot's resurrection. Voldemort had looked at a gap wide enough to hold two people and commented, 'The Lestranges should stand here ...' If all three of the Lestranges had been involved, there should have been a gap wide enough for three people! It agreed with Rodolphus Lestrange's claim that his brother had been unmarked. He nodded, as Hermione questioned Rodolphus, "If you were innocent of the crime and not even at the site of the crime, why were you accused?"

Rodolphus answered readily, "Apparently, Frank Longbottom recognised us and named us before he was carted off to St. Mungo. Alastor Moody, the auror in charge of the case, took his statement and it was verified by Dumbledore in his capacity as Chief Warlock."

"If you were not involved in the attack, what do you think might have happened to the Longbottoms?" asked Harry.

"I have no idea, Potter. I can think of three possibilities. First, someone impersonated us. Second, Longbottom was mistaken about our identities. Or lastly, we were deliberately framed! Moody hated us enough to do it."

"How did Crouch's son get accused, then? Was he really involved or was he framed as well?"

"We've no idea," returned Bellatrix wearily. "All I can tell you is that he was a surprise to us."

"So was he innocent? Wasn't he a Death Eater?" asked Harry sceptically.

Rodolphus considered the question, before answering carefully. "Let me put it this way, Potter. We heard of what young Barty did to return the Dark Lord. He was in the Dark Lord's circle so all of us knew he was a Death Eater. What I can say is that it is most unlikely that he was ever involved in actions against the Dark Lord's enemies. Bellatrix, Andronicus, or myself would have known had he participated in any of the raids. My suspicion is that he was probably a spy for the Dark Lord. Having a spy in the very household of the head of DMLE would be very useful to him."

Harry nodded, while Hermione took up the inquisition. "Couldn't you prove that you were not involved? After all, you got a trial!"

"Prove our innocence!" laughed Rodolphus bitterly. "Frank Longbottom had identified us as his attackers, we had no one who could testify that we were elsewhere – we were drunk and in bed, Severus Snape swore up and down that we had been Death Eaters high in the Dark Lord's favour, and Dumbledore gave evidence that the Longbottoms possessed information that would be vital to Death Eaters in their quest to return Voldemort. Motive, opportunity and recognition! That sealed our fate."

"But you had been acquitted once before!"

Bellatrix laughed a cold and unpleasant laugh, while Rodolphus looked at her pityingly. "We had been acquitted in general examinations of all suspected Death Eaters. We had never been accused of a specific crime!. Besides, do you really think Barty Crouch would give us a fair trial when he had so much personal stake? He was facing a crisis of monumental proportions. Two of the most popular aurors had been tortured to insanity and his own son was one of the accused! His first, and probably only instinct, was to save his own position, no matter what it entailed to the others. He even sacrificed his own son!" He reclined in his chair, and spoke almost reminiscently, "The jury had prejudged us. They wanted a scapegoat. There were plenty who were outraged that many Death Eaters had escaped and when Longbottom identified us as his attackers, it sealed our fate."

"Your elf ..." began Harry.

"The evidence given by elves in support of their masters is always considered dubious, Harry. Their masters can command elves to lie for them, and they cannot refuse! Consequently, elven evidence is rarely considered clinching," returned Mrs. Greengrass.

"What happened after you were arrested?" questioned Harry.

Rodolphus lips twisted sardonically, as he answered Harry, "Young Barty Crouch, along with the three of us, were dumped in holding cells. Less than four and twenty hours later, we were all tried by a jury hand picked by Crouch and we held no chance there. We were told what crimes we had committed, and then sentenced to Azkaban for life!"

Harry looked at the two Lestranges neutrally and spoke, "I have heard your claims. Now can you offer any proof in support of your claims?"

Hermione nodded approvingly, while Rodolphus almost smiled, "Potter, it is fourteen years since we were imprisoned. All evidence would be long gone by now. However, we can offer you some points you should consider."

"First, Potter, both your parents and the Longbottoms were in hiding for a long time. Something to do with a prophecy about their son being a possible candidate to slay the Dark Lord. But the Longbottoms' son did not defeat the Dark Lord – it was you who did. The Longbottoms had just returned when they were attacked. They were out of touch with the latest events. If anyone wanted to find and return the Dark Lord, the Longbottoms would likely be the last people to where to find him!"

"What do you know about the prophecy?" asked Harry quickly.

"We know what the Dark Lord knows – that either you or young Longbottom could possibly defeat the Dark Lord. Which was why he was hunting both your parents and the Longbottoms."

Harry nodded, so Bellatrix continued, "Secondly, Potter, if we wanted information, we would not bother torturing the Longbottoms in their own estate. They were aurors, and if we had broken in, it would be very likely we would have triggered alarms. We would have taken them prisoner and tortured them at our leisure in our hiding place – and there are quite a few of the Dark Lord's hiding places that have never been revealed – instead of staying there, waiting for the aurors. We may have been ruthless and brutal, we were not stupid!"

"Thirdly, Potter, we had just been acquitted. Old Crouch was crafty – he often had those he released watched carefully in case he had released some Death Eaters. If we wanted to find and resurrect the Dark Lord, we would certainly not have done it so soon after our release. We would have waited until Crouch's spies had determined us innocent!"

"So what exactly is the official version of the events?" questioned Hermione.

Rodolphus answered, "The official version is that we went to the Longbottom estate and having subdued the Longbottoms, were in the process of torturing them for information, when four aurors arrived, whereat we promptly fled. The aurors followed us to our home and arrested us!"

Bellatrix smiled, "Final pointer – if we had escaped the aurors, we would not have gone to our own estates since that would be the first place that would be searched. Matter of fact, no four aurors could have defeated us, so we would not have fled. We would have crushed those aurors as well, and tortured them too for the information!"

There was a long awkward silence at the statement, and finally Emmeline Vance broke it. She spoke quietly, "There is something about the Longbottoms that I think you should all know. It is most unlikely they were tortured into insanity at all!"

"What?!" All eyes were goggling at her in astonishment, and even Bellatrix seemed to be shaken out of her habitual cold, and haughty composure. Mrs. Greengrass recovered first. "Perhaps you could explain?"

Emmeline consented and in a few words explained how she had been put in charge of the Longbottom business over the last month, how she found no records of their injuries or treatment, how she had ordered new tests and the results of the reports she had obtained – that they had had a massive memory charm performed on them, and been kept under a regimen of _confundus_ spells and potions.

There was another shocked silence when she had finished. Harry shattered that pin drop silence finally, speaking to Emmeline, "If your ideas are correct, ma'am, what could have happened to them?"

Emmeline leant back in her chair, speaking slowly and contemplatively, "I cannot say what could have happened, Harry. What I can tell you is what did not happen. And that is that the Longbottoms were not tortured into insanity!"

"They were not subjected to the _cruciatus_ curse at all?" inquired Hermione, wide eyed.

"If they were, there are no permanent effects of the curse on them."

"Why the _memory charm_ on them then?" asked Hermione.

"You ask me the question I have asked myself a hundred times," smiled the healer at the muggleborn girl. "I have no answer to it. At first, I thought that the Lestranges had used the spell to cover up the _cruciatus _curse, but even that does not answer their symptoms. Now ..." her voice trailed away contemplatively.

Harry asked her, "Ma'am, you say they have been kept there under a spell and potions regimen. If they were weaned off the _confundus magic_ and treated for the damage they have suffered, could they be cured?"

Emmeline frowned at the question, "I honestly have no clue, Harry. I have never had a case where people were brutally dosed with _confundus magic _routinely for a very long time. Their brains have been completely taken apart and put back haphazardly. The amount of damage they would have suffered over the years would be appalling. Add to that the memory charm, and things are going to be far worse."

"If you were asked to treat them now, how would you proceed?" asked Mrs. Greengrass.

Emmeline replied reflectively, "The first thing would be get them off those spells and potions. Then a long therapy using gentle _Legilimency _to help them focus their thoughts and _mind sharpening _potions would be in order. But whatever we do, it is going to take a long time – probably months – to get any results at all."

She continued in the same thoughtful fashion, "It would help if we have memories that we know they have with them. Memories that we both share. If we could gently push to remember those memories, perhaps they could begin knitting their own memories slowly. I have a few memories with them from the last war. Perhaps we could find others who have memories with them and we can begin healing them!"

"Why do you think _confundus _magic was used on them?" asked Hermione.

Emmeline made no reply, but Harry inquired quietly, "What about the previous healer? The one who administered those potions – and probably performed those spells – on the Longbottoms?"

"We have no proof that Miriam Strout actually performed those spells, or fed them the potions," responded Emmeline distractedly. She still could scarcely credit that a fellow healer would fall so far from her vows as to actually harm a patient willfully.

"There is no way anything could be done to them without the Healer's knowledge," cut in Mrs. Greengrass sharply.

Emmeline bowed in token of the truth of Mrs. Greengrass' statement, but said little else. "We should interrogate this Healer," murmured Bellatrix. "She may be able to shed much light about this affair."

"Now, see here," blustered Emmeline. "We are not going to torture ..."

"That were unnecessary," murmured Rodolphus, "even if it were possible. We have a supply of _veritaserum_ with us. She will answer everything truthfully."

There was silence for a moment. Emmeline put her hand in her pocket to get her handkerchief and her hand happened upon a scrap of paper. "Oh!" she exclaimed.

"What is it?"

From her pocket, Emmeline drew the scrap of paper – a bubblegum wrapper, to be precise – that Alice Longbottom had given her on her first visit. She explained the circumstances connected with the wrapper. Bellatrix who had been listening keenly, muttered, "If I may have a look ..."

Without a word, Emmeline Vance passed it to the haughty witch. Bellatrix held it for a moment in her fingers, her eyes closed as though she were trying to commune with the paper. Suddenly, she drew her wand, and touching it to the wrapper, murmured, "_Aparecium!"_

The outline of three words, written in black ink in a shaky hand, appeared faintly on the wrapper,

HELP FREE US

Emmeline Vance went ashy pale, when she read that, while Harry was gazing at Bellatrix Lestrange in astonishment. "How did you know what was written there?" demanded Harry.

"I didn't," replied Bellatrix curtly. "I could just feel magic on the paper – it is one of my specialities, Potter. As I felt magic from an obviously empty piece of paper, I thought something might be hidden there."

Emmeline murmured softly, "Of course! Alice was very famous for her _invisibility _spells. I guess she wrote that plea and cast the _invisibility_ spells when she got a chance. But it does not add up – she is incapable of coherent thought. How could she have written it? How did she even know whom to hand the wrapper to?"

Bellatrix was already waving her wand in intricate patterns over the paper, murmuring strange spells while the others watched in admiration and surprise. A few minutes, she ceased her spellcasting and reclined back in her chair, as she explained "The _invisibility _charm on the bubblegum wrapper is really old. Years, at least. Someone very skilled in the use of invisibility charms – probably Alice Longbottom – wrote the message on the paper years ago, and placed the _invisibility _charm on the writing." She continued thoughtfully looking at Emmeline, "Now why did they hand it to you?"

Something stirred in Harry's memory. He had been with Neville and his parents at St. Mungo's when Alice Longbottom had handed Neville those very bubblegum wrappers. He answered quietly, "Actually, Alice Longbottom has been handing out those notes to a lot of people for a long time. I saw her hand out one to Neville during last Christmas. I suspect that she wrote those in the hopes of getting out and is now handing it to everyone except the Healer, whom though she does not recognise positively, knows subconsciously that she cannot be trusted!"

There was a long deadly silence at this. Everyone, Bellatrix included, was horrified by what had been wrought on the Longbottoms. There only remained the question of what to do.

--(Author's Notes)--

Young Crouch's desperate pleas in the court struck me strangely. Was it true that he did not really torture the Longbottoms? We know for sure that the trial was heavily biased – the way the jury behaved – clapping and cheering when they got a conviction – was more reminiscent of a lynch mob than an impartial bunch of twelve men. Also, this is in total contrast to his almost proud admission of guilt to Harry later on – he arrogantly tells Harry how he set up Harry and his acts later on. Would the person who is so proud of his actions declaim them in the court?

Also, I found it rather ridiculous that the Ministry would not indulge in testilying to put Death Eaters (supposed and real) behind bars, especially when they were fighting a war. We are talking about a time when Crouch was tossing people in Azkaban left and right without a trial!

I have used a slightly different idea for _Legilimency_, where any intrusion into another's mind can be considered _Legilimency._

Finally, after his resurrection in GoF, Voldemort stares at a place wide enough for two people and says - 'The Lestranges should stand here." Now there are three Lestranges - Rodolphus, Bellatrix, and Rabastan. Does it mean somehow that one of the other Lestranges was not a Death Eater? Or does it imply that he/she was simply standing elsewhere in the circle? The present chapter contains my interpretation on the matter.


End file.
